Earth Day is a very pertinent call to educate, inspire and mobilise individuals, communities, and governments to appreciate the importance of the environment and invest in its sustainability, protection and restoration. This Earth Day, the FIGO Committee on Climate Change and Toxic Environmental Exposures (C2TE2) marks the occasion with a new podcast episode exploring the impact of climate change and environmental factors on women’s health, featuring regional perspectives and insights from Committee experts.

Discover the committee: Committee on Climate Change and Toxic Environmental Exposures | Figo

Led by the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Committee on Women of Menopausal Age, this Q&A-style podcast episode explores key aspects of health and wellbeing during the menopausal transition. The discussion focuses on improving the health status of women at menopausal age while highlighting the importance of preventive care and proactive health management.

Through expert insights and practical guidance, the episode promotes healthy aging and provides evidence-based information on menopausal care. Topics include the role of nutrition, lifestyle management, and preventive strategies in supporting women through this important life stage.

Designed for healthcare professionals, the podcast aims to raise awareness about menopause-related health challenges and empower listeners with the knowledge needed to support long-term wellbeing.

On this episode of the FIGO podcast, leaders from the FIGO Division of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Wellbeing, Dr Aparna Sridhar, Dr Ivonne Diaz, Dr Asha Kasliwal, Dr Laura Gil and Dr Nikhil Purandare, discuss the impacts of ongoing violations of reproductive human rights across the world.

This episode highlights the challenges in access to safe abortion, contraception and fertility care around the world, particularly in low resource settings and for underserved populations. Key threats to healthcare workers who deliver sexual and reproductive health services are also discussed.

This podcast affirms FIGO’s strong support for comprehensive, equitable, and accessible sexual and reproductive health care for all individuals, recognising that these rights are essential components of global health and fundamental human rights.

Resources:

‘Beyond borders: The global impact of violating reproductive human rights’ is free to read online at: https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ijgo.15945

On this episode of the FIGO podcast, Dr Atziri Ramírez-Negrin, Chair of the FIGO Committee on Women Facing Crises, is joined by Dr Margit Endler, Dr Rubina Sohail and Dr Brenda Urbina to speak about the pervading issue of violence against OBGYN healthcare providers.

The episode highlights the complex factors contributing to workplace violence including insufficient healthcare resources, unmet patient expectations and lack of training and protocols to report and respond to incidents of violence. Atziri and colleagues also discuss incident management and prevention strategies to ensure all healthcare providers can deliver care without fear of violence or abuse.

Content warning: This episode contains discussion of incidents of violence in the workplace which some listeners may find distressing.

Resources:

‘A silent pandemic of violence against providers in obstetrics and gynecology: A mixed-methods study based on a global survey’ is available to read for free online at: https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ijgo.15985

To mark Earth Day, the FIGO Committee on Climate Change and Toxic Environmental Exposures (C2TE2) invites you to listen to a new episode of the FIGO podcast The Committee Chair Dr Nate DeNicola takes you on a world tour exploring environmental drivers of global women's health in interviews with committee members and experts.

Past Chair Dr Ditas Decena from the Philippines describes how she counsels patients on diet and nutrition to avoid risks of ADHD and autism, and her new technique in prescribing search terms. And you will hear new fun facts on mangoes!

Dr Jim Zhang joins from China where he is conducting ground-breaking research on PFAS "forever chemicals" linked to preterm birth and PCOS. He gives the unvarnished facts about non-stick pans, waterproof children's clothing and what this means for women's health clinicians and policy makers.

You will also hear from University of California San Francisco expert liaison Rashmi Joglekar, Director of Community Engagement at the EaRTH Center. She reveals a new source of non-chemical environmental stressors and their impact on public health and shares expert tips for navigating "clean beauty" products.

In the fourth episode of the FIGO Podcast we speak to Ivonne Diaz, Director of FIGO’s Division of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Wellbeing, Aparna Sridhar, Chair of the Committee on Contraception, Teresa Bombas, Committee on Safe Abortion, and Jaideep Malhotra, Chair of the Committee on Reproductive Medicine, Endocrinology and Infertility, to learn more about the Cartagena Declaration.

They describe how access to sexual and reproductive health and rights is a basic and non-negotiable human right of every woman and girl in the world, and call for professional health organisations to leverage their collective expertise, resources, and advocacy power to advance the wellbeing of women worldwide.

In the third episode of the FIGO podcast, Professor Nichole Tyson, Associate Member of FIGO’s Committee on Contraception, describes the benefits of contraception for adolescents and addresses key concerns on myths about contraceptive use in young people.

Prof Tyson looks at the use of contraceptives for the management of menstrual disorders, non-contraceptive benefits of birth control and key considerations for contraceptive use in cancer patients. The episode also dispels recurrent myths regarding risks linked to hormonal contraception.

Thank you to podcasters CREOGS over coffee for their support in producing the podcast series.

In the second episode of the FIGO podcast, Dr Aparna Sridhar, Chair of FIGO’s Committee on Contraception, discusses recommendations on the use of contraceptive methods and how these apply to the adolescent population.

This episode highlights the importance of contraceptive counselling, considers recommendations for the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives and talks through the need to respect adolescent’s autonomy when deciding to use contraception.

Thank you to podcasters CREOGS over coffee for their support in producing the podcast series.