Many of our members were interested in a newsletter article we featured on the topic of genital cosmetic surgery, following on from a letter sent to the MJA. Dr Glenn Carruthers and Dr Rachel Robbins have recently sponsored a petition directed at The Executive Director Australian Law Reform Commission. It reads:

"For some time we have been concerned that unrealistic depictions of female genitals, as required by the Australian film and literature classification board, have resulted in misperception of oneself as abnormal, leading to emotional problems and an increase in unnecessary and poorly understood cosmetic surgery. Fortunately the current guidelines for the classification of publications in Australia are under review. This provides us with an opportunity to have a say on some issues in the scheme which are related to these social and health problems. These problems are ably highlighted in the submission by Women's Health Victoria."

Click here to read and sign the petition.

The Perfect Vagina is an interesting UK documentary that examines labioplasty, labial casting (to create the Great Wall of Vagina), perceptions of and normal variations of female genitalia, and hymenoplasty.

If you know a woman who has concerns about the appearance of her genitals consider directing her to the Great Wall of Vagina - an artistic display of 400 casted female genitalia showing appearances of all shapes and sizes.

The National Association of Women Pharmacists (NAWP) and the Medical Women’s Federation (MWF) hosted a workshop ‘Blue Pill/Pink Pill Does Gender Matter’ at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society 10th Nov 2011. The Lancet (November 26, p1826) published a response to one of the many points for concern raised.

Women generally experience more side effects than men; women tend to take more OTC drugs and therefore are more at risk of drug-drug interactions; what  is the effect of hormonal contraception on drug metabolism and treatment outcome; some diagnostic tests are more appropriate/ sensitive in men; diabetes in young women is increasing and there needs to be more understanding in the patient group of the associated risks & need for adherence to treatment; the risk of a  rare, but potentially fatal abnormality in heart rhythm that may occur with some drugs  is significantly increased in women; more women should be encouraged to participate in clinical trials; all data collected post -market and on clinical practice databases should be analysed by gender..... the list goes on.

"Being male or female might be a more important determinant of health, illness, and response to treatment than is known." "The Lancet is calling for researchers to enrol more women into clinical trials of all phases, and to plan to analyse data by sex, as a matter of routine."

Awareness that gender can influence the prevalence, diagnosis, drug efficacy and tolerance and surgical outcome in a number of diseases is increasing.  Better understanding of gender/sex differences has resulted in the improvement in the diagnosis and treatment outcomes of heart disease in women.  For example, it is now recognized that women do not show the classic symptom of severe chest pain associated with a heart attack. In women the symptoms may be shoulder pain, fatigue, breathlessness, nausea and vomiting - and ECG readings may be atypical. Knowledge of this difference has led to better and quicker diagnosis of heart attacks in women.

The lives of women around the world have improved dramatically, at a pace and scope difficult to imagine even 25 years ago. Women have made unprecedented gains in rights, education, health, and access to jobs and livelihoods. Despite this progress, gaps remain in many areas. The worst disparity is the rate at which girls and women die relative to men in developing countries. Excess female deaths account for an estimated 3.9 million women each year in low- and middle-income countries. About two-fifths are never born due to a preference for sons, a sixth die in early childhood, and over a third die in their reproductive years.

The World Development Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development argues that closing these gaps is a core development objective in its own right. It is also smart economics. Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions more representative. The Report examines the factors that have fostered change and the constraints that have slowed progress. The analysis focuses on the roles of economic growth, households, markets, and institutions in determining gender differences in education, health, agency, and access to economic opportunities. Click here to view the report.

The Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS) recently launched a new funding opportunity in conjunction with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Grand Challenges in Global Health. They are soliciting proposals from researchers and scientists around the world who would like to investigate the causes and mechanisms of preterm birth. Letters of inquiry are being accepted online until 31 January, 2012. Get more information here: http://bit.ly/ukIKro

From Leslie Pratch at the Harvard Business Review blog comes this interesting article on why women leaders need self confidence - even if they feel self-critical inside.