NEW YORK (12 August 2015)—A study published today in PLOS ONE assessed effects of the Population Council’s investigational one-year reusable contraceptive vaginal ring (CVR) on the incidence of vaginal infections and vaginal microflora. The study demonstrated that use of the CVR for up to 13 cycles presented no increased risk of infection, nor did it disrupt the balance of microbes in the vagina.

The one-year reusable CVR contains Nestorone® and ethinyl estradiol. Nestorone (NES) is an investigational progestin that has been shown in clinical studies to prevent ovulation and pregnancy. Ethinyl estradiol (EE) is an approved, marketed, synthetic version of the female hormone estrogen.

New Study from Population and Development Review Finds Rising Need, Reassurances

NEW YORK (29 June 2015) — There has been much recent discussion in the press of the plight of the so-called “sandwich generation,” that is, adults who are responsible for the care of children as well as aging parents. The need for simultaneous childcare and eldercare is a reality that can limit families’—particularly women’s—opportunities for paying work.

A new study by social scientists Emilio Zagheni and Denys Dukhovnov for the first time drills down into US statistics about who is providing this care, and who is receiving it. The study found that in 2012, adults in the United States provided more than a billion hours of unpaid caregiving every week—equal to the work of 30.5 million full-time caregivers. The researchers project a rise in the need for such care, reveal some surprises about who is providing care, and provide some reassurances about the future. The study appears in the June 2015 issue of Population and Development Review, a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal published by the Population Council.

The World Health Organization released its 2015 updated Essential Medicines List and for the first time included the progesterone contraceptive vaginal ring (CVR), a contraceptive safe and effective for lactating women in the postpartum period.

This post is part of a blog series on evidence generated through the Population Council’s RISING program. RISING uses implementation science, evidence review, and organizational grants to build knowledge about what works in adolescent girls programming. The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Population Council. Please direct any questions to Jeffrey Edmeades.

Recent studies have shown that girl-focused programs can be very effective in expanding girls’ ability to make strategic life choices by providing them with access to critical resources. Understanding what type of programs or program components work best in addressing the unique needs and challenges adolescent girls face is the focus of the RISING program. Making girl-centered programming more effective through rigorous examination of which programs have the greatest impact in improving the lives of girls worldwide will provide critically important guidance for programmers going forward.