INTRODUCTION
Welcome
to Genova 2002,
On
behalf of the Organising and Scientific Committee we welcome you to the 7th
ESC Congress in Genova, the old famous seaport in the Liguria region of Italy
which enjoys a mild climate and great natural beauty. The title of the 7th
Congress of the European Society of Contraception is “Attitudes,
prevention and care to contraception and reproductive health”.
Advances
in scientific knowledge, research and development in recent decades have
resulted in an increasingly wider choice of new contraceptive methods and
improvements in the safety and effectiveness of existing methods. However, on
a global scale, every minute: 380 women become pregnant; 190 women face an
unplanned or unwanted pregnancy; 110 women experience a pregnancy related
complication; 40 women have an unsafe abortion; and every minute one woman dies
from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. One of the most
important issues in improving reproductive health care is an approach on
meeting people’s needs rather than just reducing fertility. This implies a
closing of the existing large regional and international gaps in quality
services offered by reproductive health care providers, programmes and
contraceptive suppliers.
Changed
attitudes, new contraceptive developments, appropriateness of methods and
introduction strategies needs to be disseminated rapidly over the next several
years.
The
Congress will start with a keynote lecture on “Contraception and
society” and in the various sessions the social dimension of the
contraceptive strategies will be widely debated. A practical emphasis will be
put on the new achievements in the area of estrogen and progestogen receptors
directly linked with the contraceptive methods. Large proportion of the time
will be allocated to the presentation and discussion of the potential risks
related to contraception and family planning:
the
risk of STD, and for the users of OC the evaluation of the risk for deep
venous thrombosis.
Another
interesting issue will be the use of OC at the end of fertile age taking in
account the positive effects on the cycle and its protective effect on ovarian
and endometrial carcinogenesis. Male contraception, postcoital contraception,
as well as sterilization and abortion, will be described as alternative
methods of family planning. Of essential importance, the various aspects of
contraceptive counseling
will be illustrated and discussed with the aim to improve the compliance of
the contraception, an essential part of the reproductive health.
Finally,
it is our hope an belief that the title of the Congress and scientific
programme of the congress will be acknowledged as a support to the perception
of contraception not only as key intervention for improving
female health care, but also as a human right.
P.G. Crosignani
President Organizing Committee
S.O. Skouby
President Scientific Committee