The IUGA Board is excited to announce the launch of a new IUGA program called “International Urogynecological Consultation”, IUC in short. The purpose of the IUC is to develop a series of IUGA Consensus Statements on Pelvic Organ Prolapse (POP). To produce these consensus statements, the IUGA is bringing the world's most renowned experts together in a select number of IUC committees, who will each follow a rigorous consultation process with multiple reviews to ensure that the most up-to-date scientific evidence concerning POP is included.

Part of the development process is that IUGA will hold in-person 'consultation' sessions that are open to all IUGA Annual Meeting attendees at IUGA's Annual Meetings, which allows all attendees to discuss the committee's findings and provide input/feedback. The IUC committees will then work on a final manuscript that will be published in the International Urogynecology Journal (IUJ) and will form an invaluable resource to the urogynecological field.

This project has been designed to complement and not compete with the work that has been completed through existing programs or consultations including related publications, consensus statements, and guidelines on POP. To clarify our goals, IUC’s first stage will focus on defining the condition of POP and will include topics on the epidemiology/ pathophysiology of POP (including genetics to risk factors), clinical definition of the disease state and patients’ perceptions of disease burden and therapeutic success. In the following stages the IUC will cover POP treatment options and the evaluation of patients. The IUC aims to have the complete set of POP consensus statements ready by 2022.

A dedicated IUC steering committee is currently selecting the chairs of the IUC committees. Membership in the IUC committees will be open to all healthcare professionals and other experts in the field of Urogynecology and more specifically in POP through a call for applications that will be announced in October.

With this project, the IUGA aims to help transform evolving new data into knowledge, knowledge into recommendations, and recommendations into improved patient care for women with Pelvic Organ Prolapse, which is completely in line with our mission and vision to improve the lives of all women with pelvic floor disorders.

Did you know that, as an IUGA member, you have free and unrestricted access to the IUGA Academy? Log in with your new IUGA.org member log in details on https://academy.iuga.org/ and try it out today!

Dear Colleagues,

I am once again thrilled to share with you our newest edition of the 2018 IUGA Newsletter. In this issue, we share highlights of our Annual Meeting in the elegant city of Vienna. Please enjoy our highpoints and photo gallery!

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In addition, Dr. Rebecca Rogers, IUJ Co-Editor-in-Chief, shares with us how the IUJ will be celebrating Peer Review Week as well as recognizing the Top 10 Editorial Board Members who have provided the most peer reviews this past year.

We continue to encourage everyone’s contribution to our upcoming newsletters. Please contact me or Missy Render (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) with any local news within your community that you would like to share with our IUGA membership. Thank you and enjoy!

Kind regards,

Debby Karp, MD, FACOG
IUGA Publications Committee Chair

On July 30, 2018, the FDA has issued a warning to alert patients and health care providers that the use of energy-based devices to perform vaginal "rejuvenation," cosmetic vaginal procedures, or non-surgical vaginal procedures to treat symptoms related to menopause, urinary incontinence, or sexual function may be associated with serious adverse events. The safety and effectiveness of energy-based devices for treatment of these conditions has not been established.

The statement can be found here: https://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm615013.htm

On April 26, 2018, Dr. Ranee Thakar (Vice-President of IUGA) and Dr. Abdul Sultan (Chair of the IUGA Membership Committee) joined more than 600 people at the VII Jornada Internacional de Uroginecologia da USP excellently hosted by Jorge Milhem Haddad in Sao Paulo, Brazil. They lead the Obstetric Anal Sphincter Injuries (OASIS) workshop, which is focused on the diagnosis and repair of 3rd and 4th degree perineal and anorectal tears.

Obstetric anal sphincter disruption is a major cause of anal incontinence. Many clinicians report feeling inadequately trained to recognise and repair anal injuries. Techniques to identify, classify, and repair anal sphincter damage were explained in detail and then participants were given the opportunity to practice on animal parts. As 85% of women who have a vaginal birth sustain some form of perineal trauma, the information and techniques taught in this workshop are of the utmost importance for all doctors in the fields of obstetrics, urogynecology and gynecology. It is also useful for midwives, Labor Ward Managers, and Colorectal Surgeons.

Drs. Thakar and Sultan were also available at the IUGA booth after the workshop to answer questions about OASIS and about IUGA. Many of the attendees signed up as new IUGA members.

Historically within urogynecology, the lack of data combined with commercial pressure has been persuasive. In addition, many databases are designed to evaluate procedures and their outcomes rather than to provide decision-making guidance. The IUGA Database aims to address these short-comings. 

The IUGA Database Challenge, October 1-7, 2018, will not only introduce members to the database but will also demonstrate the power of numbers. Our goal is to have at least 5,000 cases entered during the challenge week. Initial data will provide world demographics of surgery with the aim of being able to set standards for simple procedures.

All IUGA members receive free access to the IUGA Surgical Database as a benefit of membership. Learn more about the Challenge and request your free account today!

LEARN MORE

Whether it is for the 1st time or the 10th, some presentations are worth watching and re-watching. Learn from the experts who presented in Vienna in the comfort of your own home! The first set of content from the IUGA 43rd Annual Meetingcontent from the IUGA 43rd Annual Meeting is now available on the IUGA Academy and includes special lectures, plenaries, and e-posters. 

Check out the most recent video: the Mini State-of-the-Art lecture of Dr. Abdul Sultan and Ms. Wendy Ness 'Management of fecal incontinence for the urogynecologist' has been published on the IUGA Academy. 

Watch now!

We will continue to release content from the IUGA 43rd Annual Meeting throughout the year. Stay tuned!

Change is inevitable. Growth is optional. If you are looking for the opportunity to grow your knowledge and skills, apply for an IUGA Observership Grant today! The purpose of the Observership Grant is to offset the costs of visiting an approved host site with proven expertise in a specific area of urogynecology, selected by the applicant. Recipients spend 2-4 weeks at the host site learning and honing their skills. Observership grants are available in three categories.

APPLY TODAY!

Learn from IUGA President, Lynsey Hayward, what has kept IUGA so busy over the last year and what we are doing to better serve our members!

Watch Now