'Making abortion safe': abortion and post-abortion care providers' experiences of stigma in Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

Background: Social stigma and the marginalisation of abortion care within medical settings can negatively affect abortion providers. While some research has evaluated stigma interventions in legally restrictive settings, little work has explored the experiences of healthcare professionals (HCPs) providing abortion and post-abortion care (PAC) outside the USA. This study, part of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' 'Making Abortion Safe' programme, aimed to understand providers' experiences of abortion stigma in four African countries with restrictive legislation.

Rupture of unscarred uterus following misoprostol use in late pregnancy: A report of two cases.

Introduction: There is evidence of increasing use of misoprostol for induction of labour in low-income countries, but fewer reports of rupture of the uterus on account of its misuse.

Presentation Of Case: We report two cases of uterine rupture in two pregnant women referred to our centre due to the inadvertent administration of high doses of misoprostol in peripheral health centres. Both patients had hysterectomies, multiple blood transfusions and intrauterine fetal deaths.

Documenting public health interventions with new technologies in rural Indonesia.

The African Journal of Reproductive Health is pleased to publish these compendia of articles that originated from an international symposium on public health which took place in Surabaya, Indonesia in 2023 (ISoPH 2023). Indonesia, the world's fourth largest country, with a population of 280 million people, has a robust healthcare system that comprises a mix of public and private providers' financing. Of interest, is Indonesia's approach to health promotion through the digitization of its health services resulting in the development of multiple health applications by the central government, regional governments, and the private sector.

"When you provide abortion services, you are looked upon as a bad guy": experiences of abortion stigma by health providers in Nigeria.

Background: Abortion stigma as reported globally has been inadequately documented empirically in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with a restrictive abortion law and a high rate of unsafe abortions.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to investigate the ways in which abortion stigma is experienced by Nigerian health professionals and how such experiences influence health professionals' practice of safe abortion and post-abortion care.

Methods: The study utilized qualitative research consisting of in-depth interviews with 10 abortion providers.

Applying Mobile Technology to Address Gender-Based Violence in Rural Nigeria: Experiences and Perceptions of Users and Stakeholders.

This paper documents the results of an intervention conducted in Nigeria to test the effectiveness of a mobile phone technology, , in enabling women to self-report gender-based violence (GBV). Women experiencing GBV and other challenges related to sexual and reproductive health and rights were requested to use their mobile phones to text a code to a central server. In turn, the server relayed the messages to trained nearby health providers and civil society organization (CSO) officials who reached out to provide health care and social management services to the callers.

New evidence on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights from the West and Central African region.

The African Journal of Reproductive Health is pleased to publish these compendiums of original research in this special edition that document new findings in adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights from the West and Central African region (WCA). While sub-Saharan Africa has some of the worst indicators of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in the world, the indicators are more daunting in the WCA region. To date, the WCA is recognized to have the highest rates of unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmissible infections, as well as the lowest contraceptive prevalence rates among adolescents worldwide.

Health aspects of the presidential election in the United States.

The prospect of a Biden-Trump rematch had raised concerns. The argument of Trump on the older age of Biden led to a boomerang effect when the latter was replaced by the much younger Kamala Harris whose mixed African and Asian ancestry should lead to her support on international issues. Swing voters might be attracted by her potential as the first female president.

Rights-based sexual and reproductive health services: a call for improved access for youth.

Constituting a valuable resource, youth deserve more attention regarding their rights through increased access to sexual and reproductive health services. Limitations in health service delivery for youth should be overcome, whether pertaining to restrictive legislation and policies or technical approaches. Clear clinical guidelines will improve quality of care thereby complying with national commitments to international legal instruments.

Performance evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 rapid diagnostic tests in Nigeria: A cross-sectional study.

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged health systems globally. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard for detecting the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in clinical samples. Rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits for COVID-19 have been widely used in Nigeria.

Value of self-care for sexual and reproductive health.

It is opportune for the Journal to contribute to Self-Care Month and Self-Care Day, as proclaimed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its efforts to promote self-care which is increasingly prominent in discourses in resource-limited settings for attaining universal health coverage. With sexual and reproductive health and rights facing hindrances, such as cultural barriers, self-care should facilitate access to services whilst maintaining privacy. Largely limited to pregnancy beforehand, self-care can now be promoted for the self-management of medical abortion, self-administration of injectable contraceptives and gender-affirming hormones besides self-collection of samples for infection testing.

Association Between Urinary Parabens and Sperm Quality in Nigerian Men: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Parabens, which are chemicals used as preservatives in cosmetic and pharmaceutical products, have been reported to be associated with low sperm quality in animal and human models. Despite the high exposure of men to paraben-containing products in Nigeria, there are no known studies that investigate the association of parabens with sperm quality in the country.

Objective: To determine the association of urinary levels of metabolites of parabens with sperm count and quality.

Anti-diabetic, anti-pancreatic lipase, and anti-protein glycation potential of stem bark extracts: in vitro and in silico studies.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder that affects glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism. Targeting these metabolic derangements can optimize the therapeutic strategies for this disease. Utilizing in vitro and in silico models, this study investigated the ability of aqueous and ethanol extracts of to inhibit α-amylase, α-glucosidase, pancreatic lipase, and protein glycation.

Eclampsia complicated by acute subdural haematoma: A case report.

Introduction: Acute subdural haematoma (ASDH) is usually a post-traumatic sequel but only a few spontaneous cases complicating eclampsia have been reported.

Presentation Of Case: We report the case of a 19-year-old patient who presented with intrapartum eclampsia at 38 weeks gestation, and developed neurologic signs that persisted after delivery. Computerized tomography (brain) revealed an acute subdural haematoma which was successfully managed conservatively in our facility.

ICPD at 30 - What African countries need to do better.

In September 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), that gave birth to the doctrine of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), was held in Cairo, Egypt1. This year is the 30th year following the conference. Given that a total of 179 governments attended the ICPD and agreed to the Platform for Action for promoting and improving sexual and reproductive health and rights, it is appropriate to take stock of changes, expectations, and commitments that have occurred as a result of actions taken by governments.

Association of Urinary Mycotoxins with Sperm Quality: A Case-Control Study in Southern Nigeria.

The objective of this study was to determine the association between mycotoxins and the quality of spermatozoa in Nigeria. We designed a prospective case-control study involving 136 men diagnosed with reduced sperm count and quality in five infertility clinics in southwest Nigeria and 154 normal fertile controls. Sperm analysis was conducted in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health OrganizationWHO, while Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry was used to assay three metabolites of mycotoxins (zearalenone, ochratoxin A, and deoxyvinelol) in the urine samples of cases and controls.

Spontaneous second trimester rupture of a previous caesarean section scar: A case report.

Spontaneous uterine rupture before the onset of labour is rare in pregnancy especially before the third trimester. It is life threatening with devastating consequences to the mother and fetus. We report a case of spontaneous second trimester uterine rupture in a multipara with a previous uterine scar with the aim of creating awareness and sharing the challenges in diagnosis and management of this unusual complication of pregnancy.

Reaffirming the value of continuing professional development.

With advances in clinical knowledge and changing norms for health services delivery, lifelong learning is essential for practitioners of sexual and reproductive health. Clinical topics should be complemented by various items, such as communications and management, to optimise the provision of care. Aiming to update knowledge, improve skills and enhance competence, professional development can take the form of diverse modalities ranging from the reading of professional journals through attendance at meetings to formal participation in schemes organised by licensing authorities.

Case report of an unusual finding of intrauterine contraceptive device in the rectum.

Introduction: Intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) is a safe and effective method of contraception. It is however rarely associated with complications. Migration of this device to the rectum is very rare.

Menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls in West Africa: A systematic review.

A systematic literature review was conducted to examine all recent academic, peer-reviewed studies of menstrual hygiene management (MHM) across adolescent girls in Anglophone West Africa. The objective was to assess the status of the scholarship surrounding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of MHM across English-speaking West African countries and identify gaps in the literature for further research. The authors searched the epidemiological literatures indexed in PubMed and cross-referenced bibliographies for studies published between 2010-2022.

Climate change and women's health: Call for research and innovations.

Climate change has featured repeatedly in the most recent discourses on global development1. Several global conferences have been held in recent times to discuss and reach consensus on ways to ameliorate the causes and address the consequences of climate change worldwide. These conferences, now called "Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework on Climate change" have taken place in many countries over the last couple of years.