The importance of abortion training for obstetrician-gynecologists: A comparison of the United States, Sweden, and Ghana.

Since 2020, World Health Organization guidelines state that universal access to abortion care is critical for individual and community health, and for the realization of human rights. Yet the right to access safe abortion care is severely restricted in many countries. This article outlines institutional and educational systems in the USA, Sweden, and Ghana, which all require obstetrics and gynecology (ob-gyn) training to include abortion care but vary in implementation.

Knowledge of female genital schistosomiasis and urinary schistosomiasis among final-year midwifery students in the Volta Region of Ghana.

Background: Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is a gynaecological complication of urinary schistosomiasis (US) with an estimated burden of 20-120 million cases in endemic areas. A neglected sexual and reproductive health disease in sub-Saharan Africa, FGS increases susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections including cervical cancer and infertility among other morbidities. However, there appears to be limited FGS knowledge among practicing and pre-service health providers with implications for control.

Prioritizing Workplace Health Promotion Policy to Address High Blood Pressure and Obesity in a Public University in the Northern Region of Ghana.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) recommends the engagement of the world of work in providing comprehensive and effective prevention strategy for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Workers are at risk of developing 1 or more cases of NCDs due to their exposure to risk factors at work. The ILO suggests that the work-related risk factors can be prevented by improving working conditions and integration of workplace health promotion programs.

Stillbirth incidence and determinants in a tertiary health facility in the Volta Region of Ghana.

Background: Stillbirths are indicators of the quality of obstetrics care in health systems. Stillbirth rates and their associating factors vary by socio-economic and geographical settings. Published data on stillbirths and their associating factors in the Volta Region of Ghana are limited.

Sonographic evaluation of maternal uterine artery from 11 - 30 weeks 6 days of gestational age in a Nigerian population: A predictive index for pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction.

Introduction: Uterine artery (UtA) Doppler sonography is a potential screening tool for pregnancy complications in placental insufficiency. Evaluation of the maternal and fetal vessels in pregnancy ensures accurate identification and prediction of pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restrictions (IUGR). The study aims to establish local reference values for UtA in a Nigerian population.

Contraceptive counseling in 2 urban cities in Ghana and the extent of shared decision-making.

Background: Increased use of contraception is associated with reduced maternal mortality worldwide; however, an unmet need remains high in many places, including Ghana. The quality of care provided by family planning practitioners influences contraceptive use; one way to improve the quality of care is to adopt a client-centered approach to counseling, including engaging in shared decision-making In Ghana, little is currently known about the extent of shared decision-making between clients and providers in contraceptive counseling encounters.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the extent of shared decision-making during contraceptive counseling in 2 cities in Ghana.

Reproductive experiences and factors influencing contraceptive use among female head-porters in Ghana: A cross-sectional study.

Background And Aims: Female head-porters are a cohort of women who have migrated from their rural communities into commercial cities in search of better economic opportunities. These young women are vulnerable to untoward reproductive experiences. The study assesses the reproductive experiences of women and the factors influencing contraceptive use among them.

Prolonged Duration of Air-Dry Fixation of Cervical Smears Produces Superior Cytomorphological Staining Quality over Conventional Wet-Fixed Smears.

Introduction: Immediate fixation of smears in 95% alcohol for Pap staining is commonly used for cytopathological diagnosis of cancers and other diseases. Few research studies have investigated the comparative outcomes of alcohol wet fixation and rehydration of air-dried smears, indicating that air-dried rehydrated (ARF) smears are viable alternative to wet-fixed (WF) smears. However, there are no or few investigations on the effects of long durations of air-drying fixation on cytomorphological staining quality.

Availability of Safe Second-Trimester Abortion Services in Health Facilities in Accra, Ghana.

Background: We examined providers, methods employed, cost, and other determinants of availability of second-trimester abortion services in health facilities in Accra, Ghana in 2019 to inform policy and program decisions.

Methods: A two-stage mixed quantitative and qualitative study designs were employed in the conduct of the study. The first stage was a short interaction of the mystery client with a clinical care provider to identify health facilities that provide second trimester induced abortion, the cost, and referral practices, where the facility did not have the service.

Give women what they want: contraceptive discontinuation and method preference in urban Ghana.

Background: Unmet need for contraception remains high in Ghana. Reducing the number of women who discontinue their contraceptive use is one way to decrease the number of women with an unmet need. In this study, we investigated factors associated with discontinuation among a cohort of Ghanaian women.

The parasitology of female genital schistosomiasis.

Female genital schistosomiasis (FGS) is the gynaecological presentation of infection, resulting from egg deposition in the female genital tract. Despite the fact that this condition has been reported in the early days of the discovery of in Egypt, its existence has been grossly neglected, causing many women in schistosomiasis-endemic areas to go through a preventable, debilitating, and stigmatizing presentation of FGS. To prevent this, increasing awareness of FGS is necessary for all, especially healthcare providers, to improve the diagnosis, management, and treatment.

Exploring Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs and Associated Barriers of Homeless Young Adults in Urban Ghana: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Homelessness has become a major global and public health challenge, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This phenomenon predisposes young adults to severe psychosocial and health challenges.

Aim: To explore the sexual and reproductive health needs and behaviours of homeless young adults and challenges in accessing these services.

Increasing access to intrauterine contraceptive device uptake in Ghana: stakeholders views on task sharing service delivery with community health nurses.

Introduction: Evidence supporting successful task sharing to increase Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUD) uptake exist in some developing countries that have challenges with availability of trained health professionals. Although Community Health Nurses (CHNs) in Ghana are trained to provide primary health care including emergency deliveries in rural communities, they are not professionally mandated to provide IUD services.

Objectives: To explore stakeholders' views on task sharing IUD services with CHNs in Ghana.

Resolving unintended pregnancy crisis: Is adoption a viable option? A cross-sectional study in Kumasi, Ghana.

Objectives: Unintended pregnancy presents a crisis situation with limited options for resolution. Abortion appears to be a commonly chosen option but is stigmatized in many societies including Ghana. Keeping a child from an unintended pregnancy is also unsuitable for many people.

Soil transmitted helminth infections in Ghana: a ten year review.

For more than a decade, intervention programs have been instituted in Ghana to combat soil transmitted helminth (STHs) infections. Knowledge of the trend of the infection in the country is needed for evaluation and modification of existing control programs to achieve national targets. The objective of this review is to examine the pattern of soil transmitted infections in Ghana between 2009-2018.

Factors associated with reproductive autonomy in Ghana.

Reproductive autonomy is essential for women to achieve reproductive rights and freedom. However, the factors associated with reproductive autonomy in various contexts have not been explored. The aim of this analysis was to understand the socio-demographic, reproductive history and social context variables associated with two validated reproductive autonomy sub-scales among 516 young Ghanaian women age 15 to 24.

Pregnancy options counselling in Ghana: a case study of women with unintended pregnancies in Kumasi metropolis, Ghana.

Background: Pregnancy crisis mismanagement has contributed to maternal deaths and illnesses globally and in Ghana due to absence/inadequate pregnancy options counselling for clients to make informed decisions. This study examines options counselling for abortion seekers in health facilities in Ghana.

Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study design was done in selected specialised public and NGO health facilities within Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana, using self-administered structured questionnaires for data collection from 1st January to 30th April, 2014.

Reproductive autonomy and pregnancy decision-making among young Ghanaian women.

Decision-making regarding the outcome of a pregnancy may include participation of the woman herself, her sexual partner, parents, family, and/or community. This paper examines who had the most say in the outcome of young Ghanaian women's last pregnancy and whether this correlated with her level of reproductive autonomy (RA). We analysed cross-sectional data from 380 previously pregnant young women in urban Ghana.

Sexual and reproductive rights violations at sexual debut of male and female adolescents in Ghana.

Objective: To examine the social and ethical challenges in enforcing sexual and reproductive rights of male and female adolescents abused at sexual debut in Ghana.

Methodology: This was a secondary analysis of cross-sectional survey data on 278 sexually experienced male and female teenagers from 12 communities selected by cluster random sampling in the Ejisu-Juben district. We extracted relevant data from a 2009 academic thesis project involving 481 respondents.

Maternal and perinatal outcomes among women with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy in Kumasi, Ghana.

Background: Data pertaining to maternal and perinatal outcomes associated with the complete spectrum of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDPs) is sparse in low resource settings. This study aimed to determine adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes among women admitted with HDPs in a tertiary hospital in Ghana, and directly compare these outcomes among women with pre-eclampsia/eclampsia and those with chronic/gestational hypertension.

Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among women who were admitted with HDPs to Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital from July 1, 2014 to September 30, 2014.

Reproductive Autonomy and Modern Contraceptive Use at Last Sex Among Young Women in Ghana.

Context: Variability in the conceptualization and measurement of women's empowerment has resulted in inconsistent findings regarding the relationships between empowerment and sexual and reproductive health outcomes. Reproductive autonomy-a specific measure of empowerment-and its role in modern contraceptive use have rarely been assessed in Sub-Saharan contexts.

Methods: Survey data were collected from a sample of 325 urban Ghanaian women aged 15-24 recruited from health facilities and schools in Kumasi and Accra in March 2015.

and unmet family planning need among Sub-Saharan African adolescents: the role of sexual and reproductive health stigma.

Adolescent pregnancy contributes to high maternal mortality rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. We explored stigma surrounding adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and its impact on young Ghanaian women's family planning (FP) outcomes. We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 63 women ages 15-24 recruited from health facilities and schools in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana.

Factors associated with sexual and reproductive health stigma among adolescent girls in Ghana.

Objective: Using our previously developed and tested Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) Stigma Scale, we investigated factors associated with perceived SRH stigma among adolescent girls in Ghana.

Methods: We drew upon data from our survey study of 1,063 females 15-24yrs recruited from community- and clinic-based sites in two Ghanaian cities. Our Adolescent SRH Stigma Scale comprised 20 items and 3 sub-scales (Internalized, Enacted, Lay Attitudes) to measure stigma occurring with sexual activity, contraceptive use, pregnancy, abortion and family planning service use.