Staff members with the Population Council’s Reproductive Health program
seek to improve sexual and reproductive health outcomes—especially for
disadvantaged populations in developing countries—through the development
and introduction of appropriate technologies, assistance to policymakers in
formulating evidence-based policies, and innovations in service delivery.
Activities include basic biomedical research; the development of male and
female contraceptives and other health products; contraceptive evaluation
and introduction; social science and health-related research to identify the
causes of poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes; and research on the
development, scale-up, financing, and sustainability of effective
service-delivery models.
Specific activities that illustrate the Population Council’s Reproductive
Health program include:
- Exploring a role for new and existing technologies in preventing,
detecting, and treating bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs),
such as adapting existing rapid diagnostic testing for use in
resource-poor settings, using diaphragms to prevent disease
transmission, or allowing people with STIs to deliver medication to
their partners, rather than requiring them to come to a clinic.
- Developing new contraceptives and reproductive health products for
men and women, including four of the five most widely used long-acting
reversible contraceptives for women.
- Finding ways to improve postabortion care, including demonstrating
the importance of incorporating family planning and reproductive health
care into treatment.
- Investigating ways of improving health, for example by combining
reproductive health services (such as the detection of reproductive
tract infections) with other health services, including family planning,
antenatal care, and HIV prevention and treatment services.
See Also
| |
What's New | |
The Population Council and Council Distinguished Scholar
Sheldon J. Segal will be awarded the 2008 Prix Galien USA Pro Bono Humanum
Award. Both the Council and Segal are being
recognized for their role in developing implantable hormone
delivery systems. (more)
Fertiring®, a vaginal ring used to deliver progesterone during in vitro
fertilization, is now available in Chile. Previously, the only option
for women undergoing this procedure was a series of painful daily
intramuscular injections. In addition to being more comfortable, the
efficiency of Fertiring’s delivery system allows a smaller drug dose to be
administered. Studies show that the ring is as effective as the shots. The
ring is available via prescription, used for up to 90 days, and then
discarded. Fertiring, which contains natural progesterone, was developed by
the Population Council, the Chilean Institute of Reproductive Medicine, the
Reproductive Medicine Clinic at Las Condes, and Silesia Laboratories. (more
about contraceptive development). |
|