"I hope to all the world they don't forget women of Afghanistan": An interrupted survey among doctors in Afghanistan.

OBJECTIVE: To assess current access to essential sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) services in Afghanistan and how access has changed with the transition of power. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study based on data from an anonymous survey among doctors in Afghanistan in May 2022, analyzed using descriptive statistics. The survey recorded subjective estimates of access to SRHR services, barriers to access, extent of maternal mortality or near miss due to preventable factors, and the effect of the regime change on access. RESULTS: The data collection was interrupted after 60 responses. A majority of providers responded that their population went hungry often or always. According to our criteria for "access", that 75% or more of the population was estimated to have it, no respondents (0%) assessed that access existed for services for gender-based violence. The corresponding proportion responding that access existed was 3.4% for services after rape, 12.6% for legal abortion, 13.3% for antenatal care, and 20% for labor care. According to 41.7% of respondents, untreated postpartum hemorrhage accounted for a large or very large proportion of preventable maternal mortality or near miss. Almost half of respondents (47.4%) reported the same for lack of skilled providers, 66.2% reported it for the concept "too many pregnancies", and 55% reported it for malnutrition and poor health. According to 43.3% of respondents, the regime change had reduced access to labor care to a large extent, 33.9% of respondents said this in relation to access to contraceptives, and 43.1% for overall access for internally displaced persons. CONCLUSION: Interim data suggest that women in some settings in Afghanistan have no access to SRHR services, that preventable factors account for a large portion of maternal deaths or near miss, and that access has deteriorated since the transition of power.

Are sexual and reproductive health and rights taught in medical school? Results from a global survey.

Our aim was to investigate the inclusion of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) topics in medical curricula and the perceived need for, feasibility of, and barriers to teaching SRHR. We distributed a survey with questions on SRHR content, and factors regulating SRHR content, to medical universities worldwide using chain referral. Associations between high SRHR content and independent variables were analyzed using unconditional linear regression or χ2 test. Text data were analyzed by thematic analysis. We collected data from 219 respondents, 143 universities and 54 countries. Clinical SRHR topics such as safe pregnancy and childbirth (95.7%) and contraceptive methods (97.2%) were more frequently reported as taught compared with complex SRHR topics such as sexual violence (63.8%), unsafe abortion (65.7%), and the vulnerability of LGBTQIA persons (23.2%). High SRHR content was associated with high-income level (P = 0.003) and low abortion restriction (P = 0.042) but varied within settings. Most respondents described teaching SRHR as essential to the health of society. Complexity was cited as a barrier, as were cultural taboos, lack of stakeholder recognition, and dependency on fees and ranking.

The Prevalence of Subclinical Hypothyroidism During Early Pregnancy in Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) during early pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of miscarriage or premature birth. In Pakistan, the prevalence of SCH among pregnant women is not well documented. This multi-center study aims at identifying the prevalence of SCH among Pakistani pregnant women. Methods A cross-sectional multi-center study was conducted over a period of 12 months. Pregnant females in the first trimester of pregnancy were recruited from the antenatal clinics of seven centers from six Pakistani cities. We assessed the frequency of SCH in pregnant females and associated risk factors. Results A total of 500 pregnant women were enrolled in this study. Only eight women (1.6%) had a newly-diagnosed SCH. While 1.2% of women had hyperthyroidism, 6% had known hypothyroidism, and 1% had overt hypothyroidism. Ten females (33.3%) with known hypothyroidism were receiving an inadequate dose of thyroid replacement therapy. The association between BMI and SCH was not statistically significant (p = 0.69). Moreover, we could not find any significant difference between patients with or without SCH in terms of age (p > 0.90), dyslipidemia (p = 0.157), history of miscarriage (p > 0.90), the regularity of the cycle (p > 0.90), and history of infertility (p > 0.90). Conclusions The frequency of undiagnosed SCH in pregnant females in the study from Pakistan was 1.6%. The rate of uncontrolled hypothyroidism was high, which raises an alarm of the potential risks of untreated thyroid disorder.

How the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is impacting sexual and reproductive health and rights and response: Results from a global survey of providers, researchers, and policy-makers.

INTRODUCTION: We aimed to give a global overview of trends in access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and what is being done to mitigate its impact. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We performed a descriptive analysis and content analysis based on an online survey among clinicians, researchers, and organizations. Our data were extracted from multiple-choice questions on access to SRHR services and risk of SRHR violations, and written responses to open-ended questions on threats to access and required response. RESULTS: The survey was answered by 51 people representing 29 countries. Eighty-six percent reported that access to contraceptive services was less or much less because of COVID-19, corresponding figures for surgical and medical abortion were 62% and 46%. The increased risk of gender-based and sexual violence was assessed as moderate or severe by 79%. Among countries with mildly restrictive abortion policies, 69% had implemented changes to facilitate access to abortion during the pandemic, compared with none among countries with severe restrictions (P < .001), 87.5% compared with 46% had implemented changes to facilitate access to contraception (P = .023). The content analysis showed that (a) prioritizations in health service delivery at the expense of SRHR, (b) lack of political will, (c) the detrimental effect of lockdown, and (d) the suspension of sexual education, were threats to SRHR access (theme 1). Requirements to mitigate these threats (theme 2) were (a) political will and support of universal access to SRH services, (b) the sensitization of providers, (c) free public transport, and (d) physical protective equipment. A contrasting third theme was the state of exception of the COVID-19 pandemic as a window of opportunity to push forward women's health and rights. CONCLUSIONS: Many countries have seen decreased access to and increased violations of SRHR during the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries with severe restrictions on abortion seem less likely to have implemented changes to SRHR delivery to mitigate this impact. Political will to support the advancement of SRHR is often lacking, which is fundamental to ensuring both continued access and, in a minority of cases, the solidification of gains made to SRHR during the pandemic.

Successful pregnancy in a liver transplant patient of Budd-Chiari syndrome.

In recent years, the number of patients undergoing liver transplant has increased. Successful transplant has resulted in better quality of life and improved fertility in younger women. This is a case study a 31-year-old woman, who had history of Budd-Chiari syndrome and underwent liver transplantation in 2014 with uneventful postoperative course. She was clinically stable on tablet tacrolimus and coumarin with no episode of allograft rejection since transplantation. The patient conceived spontaneously, after 4 years of transplant and during pregnancy, she was managed by multidisciplinary team. During the initial period, the graft and pregnancy continued without complications. However, at 33 weeks, the patient presented with sluggish fetal movements, amniotic fluid index of 3.4 and SD ratio of 3.31 for which she underwent caesarean section. She delivered a healthy female baby of 1.4 kg. This case study concludes that vigilant monitoring of fetal growth is pivotal for optimal fetal outcome.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights of refugee and migrant women: gynecologists' and obstetricians' responsibilities.

Ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services is Target 3.7 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Refugee and migrant women and children are at particular risk of being forgotten in the global momentum to achieve this target. In this article we discuss the violations of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of particular relevance to the refugee and migrant reality. We give context-specific examples of denial of health services to vulnerable groups; lack of dignity as a barrier to care; the vulnerability of adolescents; child marriage; weaponized rape; gender-based violence; and sexual trafficking. We discuss rights frameworks and models that are being used in response to these situations, as well as what remains to be done. Specifically, we call for obstetricians and gynecologists to act as individual providers and through their FIGO member societies to protect women's health and rights in these exposed settings.

Endometrial stromal sarcoma in a 20-year-old woman.

Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is an uncommon and challenging condition comprising 10% of all uterine sarcomas and found in women 42-58 years of age. ESS is difficult to diagnose in young women as it masquerades as a leiomyoma. We report this tumour in a 20-year-old woman presenting with heavy and prolonged menses and urinary retention. She was not sexually active and did not give consent for pelvic examination. A preoperative diagnosis of a submucous leiomyoma with an adnexal mass was made. At laparotomy, the leiomyoma was found to be wedged between the cervix and the vagina, and was removed vaginally. A 5-6 cm retroperitoneal mass was adherent to the right pelvic wall, which was also removed. Histopathology of both specimens revealed ESS. The final diagnosis according to the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics classification was stage IV ESS. After oncology consult, she was referred for chemotherapy. She is now on follow-up.

Kangaroo mother care: need of the day.

Each year approximately 20 million low birthweight babies are born globally. Prematurity is a leading cause of neonatal mortality in developing countries and results in 60%-80% of neonatal deaths. Neonatal mortality is the major contributor to under-5 mortality. According to Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017-2018, neonatal mortality in Pakistan is 42 per 1000 live births and under-5 mortality is 74 per 1000 live births. One out of every 22 newborns dies in Pakistan, which is an alarming figure. Majority of these deaths are preventable. They can be prevented by well-trained midwives, safe delivery, early initiation of breast feeding within an hour after birth and skin-to-skin contact. Pakistan is among the top 10 countries with the highest number of preterm births and with limited resources to manage the burden. Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a safe and economical alternative to provide preterm care in developing countries. In babies at gestational age less than 37 weeks or with neonatal weight less than 2.5 kg, skin-to-skin contact prevents hypothermia and infection. Neonatal mortality and morbidity can be reduced by providing preterm care through KMC. This case report is of a preterm baby who was delivered at 33 weeks of gestation with a weight of 1.3 kg and was saved by KMC in the paediatric department of Services Hospital in Lahore.

Cerebral arteriovenous malformations during pregnancy: a management dilemma.

The rupture of a brain cranial arteriovenous malformation (bAVM) has been associated with pregnancy; however, due to scarcity of data about this rare condition, management still remains a dilemma both for obstetricians and neurophysicians. The management plan is decided after weighing the benefits of bAVM treatment against the risk of bleeding in pregnancy. There is consensus on deciding the treatment of ruptured brain AVM during pregnancy based on neurological and not obstetrical indications. The management is decided using a multidisciplinary approach.We report the case of a primigravida who presented at 15 weeks of gestation with intracranial haemorrhage secondary to ruptured bAVM, which was managed by glue embolisation. However, she presented again after 9 days in a moribund condition with fever, vomiting and malaise. The family was very concerned about the patient. The multidisciplinary team after evaluation of patient decided for hysterotomy based on the deteriorating maternal condition.

Successful pregnancy outcome after septum resection and use of amnion graft in patient with high transverse vaginal septum.

A 20-year-old woman recently married presented to the outpatient department of the hospital, with primary amenorrhea and difficulty in having coitus. Her height was 155 cm, breast development was normal for age, and other secondary sexual characters seemed normal. On local examination, external genitalia was normal looking, and there was no vaginal discharge. She had a blind vagina of 2 cm length. The ultrasound showed a normal-sized uterus and ovaries seemingly normal. Hormonal profile comprising serum follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, prolactin and thyroid stimulating hormone were all within normal limits. Karyotyping was done, which showed a 46,XX pattern. The patient underwent vaginal surgery during which septum resection was done, and amnion grafting was performed to prevent stricture formation. The patient resumed successful coitus 3 months after surgery. There was no discomfort on coitus. She conceived 7 months later. Following this, the patient delivered a healthy baby boy through caesarean section at term.