Pre-Congress Workshops

Time: 03:30 am London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: St George Hospital, Sydney

Surgical options for managing varying type of uterovaginal prolapse will be discussed. Case scenarios will be developed where the audience can interact with speakers to decide on the types of surgery that might be offered. Varying operations will be presented by a panel of speakers experienced in prolapse surgery. Some hands-on work with models and video footage will be included in an interactive session.

Time: 1:00 pm London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: FIGO Committee for Reproductive Medicine, Endocrinology and Infertility and World Health Organization (WHO)

Infertility affects up to 200 million people globally and is the 5th greatest burden of disease in reproductive age. It affects both women and men and people of all genders and races on all continents. The impact of infertility is especially challenging in LMIC. There is increasing recognition by the World Health Organization, professional societies, the public, and policy makers of the importance of infertility as a personal, medical, and public health problem.

This pre-congress course by FIGO and its Committee on Reproductive Medicine and Reproductive Endocrinology Infertility is an in-depth interactive session on access to infertility care with short presentations, interactive breakout sessions and a panel, all delivered by globally recognized experts. Attendees will have the opportunity to send questions in advance, ask questions after each short lecture, participate in separate highly interactive breakout sessions, and hear the perspectives and ask questions of all presenters and participants during the final panel. Topics addressed include:

• The FIGO Fertility Toolbox, how and where it is being used, tools to help with its use and how to distribute it in all regions, especially LMIC
• Diagnosis of infertility including description of diagnostic approach and tests for female and male infertility in LMICs
• Treatment of infertility including specific approaches to treatment in LMIC
• Reproductive rights and barriers to infertility and fertility care globally
• Socioeconomic factors and affordability in all countries, including LMIC

Please join us for this exciting pre-congress workshop on Access to Infertility Care.

Time: 2:00 pm London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 3 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: Haemorrhage after Childbirth Foundation

This is an interactive 3-hour virtual session facilitated by four certified clinicians (three obstetricians and gynaecologists and one primary care physician) with experience in delivering HF training in the UK, the Middle East, Tanzania and China. The faculty has also collaborated with aviation experts from British Airways Flight Training in developing an innovative clinical Human Factors (non-technical skills) course using real time haptic flight simulators to demonstrate Human Factors skills to clinicians. It is now recognised that at least 70% of avoidable medical errors are related to poor awareness of Human Factors and the faculty is passionate about integrating these skills into day-to-day clinical practice, using routine examples (such as misinterpreting CTGs and retained swabs) to highlight this. The facilitators will use Teams or Zoom to deliver the interactive session and will encourage delegates to ask questions, participate and share their experiences. The facilitators use the Chatham House rule which anonymises cases, thus providing psychologically safe space to discuss the events and allow learning. Attendees will learn how to:

• Maintain situational awareness and not lose the “helicopter view”
• Develop a shallow authority gradient working environment (tools to enable junior trainees to speak up)
• Develop a vigilant “checking” discipline and use of practical checklists
• Manage and reduce distractions in clinical practice
• Make decisions and avoid bias The workshop shows how a broad understanding of Human Factors help clinicians appreciate their limitations and provides tips on how to avoid, trap and mitigate potential errors.

Time: 9:00 am London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: FIGO Advocating for Safe Abortion Project and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG)

An important, interactive and practical skills application workshop for healthcare workers interested in improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women, girls, and pregnant people in their communities and eager to learn about becoming a better advocate.

We will bring everyone together around the urgency to improve access to safe abortion with an interactive ice-breaker exercise; we will hear from colleagues from around the globe describing how they have been advocating and the impact of their efforts; and share and discuss practical ways you can bring change.

The workshop is based on learning and resources developed through the FIGO Advocating for Safe Abortion Project and the RCOG Making Abortion Safe programme. Facilitators will encourage participants to explore key principles and practices in getting started or stepping up advocacy work. Break-out groups will work on practical skills, tools and methods to 1) design an effective advocacy strategy, 2) create allies and shift attitudes of healthcare worker colleagues though using elements taken from values clarification workshops, 3) improve education and inspire conscientious commitment to abortion care in colleagues and future providers, and 4) engage in efforts for policy change including around conscientious objection and other barriers.

Time: 12:00 pm London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: FIGO Working Group on Preterm Delivery

This is an interactive session facilitated by FIGO Working Group of Preterm Birth. This pre congress course will be lead of several of the world-leading experts in the area. In the break out rooms you
will be able to discuss your topics with the presenters and have their opinions. We will provide the break out rooms in English, one in Spanish and one in French.

The pre congress course lays the ground of modern clinical understanding, prediction and prevention of preterm birth. In the preterm birth session that we will propose, we will focus new low hanging fruits how to prevent preterm birth and its consequences. Our working group will present a FIGO Good Practice Document (guidelines) on preterm birth We will also present important data regarding progesterone, pessary and cerclage on preterm birth prevention. This pre congress session will involve interactive facilitated discussion on:

• Preterm birth epidemiology and its background
• Prediction of preterm birth
• Preterm delivery

Time: 4:30pm London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 8 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: FIGO Working Group on ICI (International Childbirth Initiative)

Join the International Childbirth Initiative at the FIGO Congress in October 2021

This interactive session from the International Childbirth Initiative highlights the most recent guidance and skills for providing safe and respectful Mother-Baby Family maternity care. Featured speakers will be present from the World Health Organization, White Ribbon Alliance and the International Confederation of Midwives, along with Dr Andre Lalonde, Prof. Suellen Miller, and Debra Pascali-Bonaro.

This session includes:

• A presentation by Dr. Mercedes Bonet on the WHO Labour Care Guide, an updated tool that modifies the partograph to reflect current understanding of labour progress.  The LCG adds new guidance for supportive and respectful care practices along with clinical aspects for monitoring labour progression.
• A preview of the International Confederation of Midwives’ RESPECT training by Ann Yates and Jude Cottrell, with information about the open-source toolkit for training healthcare providers to deepen understanding of respectful care
• Details on the What Women Want campaign featuring appearances by women from around the world and next steps for responding to women’s voices. Led by Elena Ateva of the White Ribbon Alliance

Learn why health facilities from over 25 countries have committed to respectful care by joining ICI. Applications to participate in ICI with individual guidance in breakout rooms will be available during the event.

Time: 7:00 am London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: FIGO Committee for Safe Motherhood and Newborn Health, Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM)

This will be a hands on workshop with a high number of senior, experienced and active specialists in intrapartum care and assisted vaginal birth delivering the session. We will use high quality pelvic models (including those from Laerdal and Model-Med) to simulate non-rotational and rotational assisted vaginal deliveries using a range of instruments including the Odon device. The experienced facilitators from around the world will share their expertise to quickly enhance the skill and knowledge of those participating, and relate the simulated practice to the reality of labour ward

Time: 3:00 pm - 7:00 pm London time (UTC+1) or 7:30 pm - 11:30 pm London time (UTC+1) (repeat)
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: World Health Organization (WHO) and Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics (JHPIEGO)

Violence against women and its consequences for the health of women including sexual and reproductive health are being increasingly recognized by the health community. In the context of COVID-19, there has been an alarming increase in reports of intimate partner violence. However, there is limited progress in the capacity of health care providers to respond to such violence. Women subjected to violence don't always explicitly disclose violence. Instead, many are more likely to seek health care, particularly from sexual and reproductive health services for health conditions linked to violence. Therefore, it is important to train health providers to identify women subjected to violence and provide survivor-centred clinical care. WHO has published guidelines and training curricula for health care providers on how to respond to women subjected to violence. These are being rolled out in several countries, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Uganda, and Namibia.

This session will introduce participants to basic knowledge and skills about survivor-centred clinical care including first-line support/psychological support in response to disclosure of violence. It will draw on good practices from clinical settings in low and high-income settings including Australia on how to identify women, how to provide an empathetic response, address their practical and emotional needs, and how to help them access referrals. The sessions will be a mix of presentations, videos, and participatory exercises including role plays. It will also involve sharing of practicallessons from clinicians who have implemented the WHO guidelines and training.

Time: 01:00 am London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: FIGO Committee for Reproductive Medicine, Endocrinology and Infertility, International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS), American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE)

Our knowledge about the preventive care reproductive of how can be affected and the mechanisms of how we can avoid damage is what led us to plan this programme.

This pre-congress workshop will provide an update on the preventive reproductive care about women's and men´s reproductive life with the normal function and changes over time, to known how the smoking, alcohol, obesity and environment can affect the reproductive life, also understand the genetics competence on oocyte and sperm aging, and finally the preventing infertility in endometriosis, cancer, STDs. Additionally, we will update on skills in education patients for preventing infertility during the pandemic COVID-19, all with practical evidence-based guidelines.

Time: 9:00 am London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 8 hours
Cost: USD 50
Organized by: International Society for Placenta Accreta Spectrum (IS-PAS)

The diagnosis and management of Placenta accreta Spectrum (PAS) has become one of the fastest developing topics in Obstetric medicine. With the continuous rise in cesarean section rates and other interventions since the beginning of the century, PAS has become a common complex issue for Obstetricians Gynecologists, worldwide. This is an interactive session facilitated by five international experts with experience in delivering training workshops in Europe, USA, Africa and the Middle East. This faculty has also collaborated on the development of the International Society for PAS (IS-PAS) and of the recent RCOG and FIGO guidelines on the management of PAS. This pre-congress workshop will provide an update and interactive discussions on the challenging aspects of the prenatal diagnosis and perinatal management of PAS including new developments and case scenarios in different environments.

Time: 8:00 am London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center PB

Our knowledge regarding the vaginal micro-flora environment, vaginal immunology and biofilms has recently much increased. Published research activities have created a foundation for understanding the etiology and pathophysiology of several prevalent genital conditions including vulvovaginal infections and vulvar pain.

This pre-congress workshop will provide an update on vaginal micro-flora physiology, immunity, and the role of biofilm. We will guide the care provider to a journey of challenging vulvovaginal conditions. We will discuss CDC/ACOG/FM current recommended management of bacterial vaginosis, fungal infections, common dermatoses, laser excision of pre-invasive lesions, and vulvar pain. Additionally, we will update on promising new developments including using vaginal Lactobacilli products to battle antibiotic resistant pathogens. There will be plenty of original photographic, microscopic, and video material, all with practical evidence-based guidelines.

The workshop will also include a review of the latest evidence on the epidemiology, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of precancerous vulvar lesions. Participants will receive updates on the role of human papilloma virus in oncogenic transformation to Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia (VIN) as well as a discussion of prevention of the disease and HPV vaccine science. The workshop will review the manifestations of VIN including photographic and histologic appearance. We will lead the group through the best practices in medical, ablative, and excisional treatment of VIN with a view toward providing a comprehensive guide for the clinicians.

Time: 4:00 pm London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 8 hours
Cost: USD 50
Organized by: FIGO Committee for Menstrual Disorders

"Iron deficiency has a pervasive impact on the lives of girls and women worldwide. This pre-congress course aims to improve the evaluation and management of women with heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB), considering potential causes of the bleeding, and addressing appropriate options for iron repletion. Attending this course will also help you to identify means by which the lives of women can be improved with elective measures designed to address this issue.

The content will include the following:

A summary/review of the epidemiology of iron deficiency and iron deficiency anaemia throughout the world in both developed and developing nations.

•  A primer on iron deficiency and its impact on a spectrum of metabolic and functional parameters of which anaemia is a late manifestation.
• A review of the symptom of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) its prevalence (now suspected to be in the range of 50%), and the historical and current barriers to access and care.
• Appropriate evaluation of women with the symptoms of HMB including assessment for iron deficiency. We will also provide insight into the evaluation of women with the symptoms of iron deficiency who don't know that they have HMB or other causes of anaemia.
• High level view of therapy for the potential causes of the symptom of HMB - we will provide insight for SARS-CoV-2 affected regions, as well as considerations for interim therapy in this context.
• Specific approach to iron repletion from nutrition to oral administration strategies and intravenous approaches.

Time: 2:00 pm London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 8 hours
Cost: USD 50
Organized by: The World Association of Trainees in Obstetrics & Gynecology (WATOG), la Federación Latinoamericana de Sociedades de Obstetricia y Ginecología (FLASOG) and the African Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (AFOG)

Please note this workshop will be continued on Sunday 17 October at 2pm UTC+1 (Part 2).

Postpartum Haemorrhage continues to be one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in developing countries. In this workshop, key theorical components regarding the state-of-the-art evaluation and management of postpartum haemorrhage will be reviewed. There will be a hands-on approach to different techniques that can be used for its management. Video demonstration of complex surgical techniques by experts will be broadcasted. Finally, a review of common obstetric scenarios will be performed. We highly recommend you seize this opportunity and take this master workshop and acquire a full understanding of postpartum haemorrhage.

Time: 2:00 pm London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 8 hours
Organized by: The World Association of Trainees in Obstetrics & Gynecology (WATOG), la Federación Latinoamericana de Sociedades de Obstetricia y Ginecología (FLASOG) and the African Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (AFOG)

Please note this is the continuation of the workshop which took place on Saturday 16 October at 2pm UTC+1. There will be no summary of Part 1 at the beginning of Part 2.

Postpartum Haemorrhage continues to be one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in developing countries. In this workshop, key theorical components regarding the state-of-the-art evaluation and management of postpartum haemorrhage will be reviewed. There will be a hands-on approach to different techniques that can be used for its management. Video demonstration of complex surgical techniques by experts will be broadcasted. Finally, a review of common obstetric scenarios will be performed. We highly recommend you seize this opportunity and take this master workshop and acquire a full understanding of postpartum haemorrhage.

Time: 5:30 am London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: National Association of Reproductive and Child Health of India (NARCHI) Nagpur Chapter and Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecological Societies of India (FOGSI)

Although human anatomy is unchanging, the understanding of the pelvic viscera continues to evolve. This pelvic anatomy workshop is a learning opportunity which seeks to build knowledge, skills and confidence in the practising obstetrician. For the post graduate student, it provides a solid foundation of clinical applied anatomy, to upgrade their surgical skills. This workshop will help you to become “Anatomically” oriented Pelvic Surgeon, and will build confidence.

For the practising obstetrician or surgeon, it will provide a wealth of sound clinical anatomy and evidence-based guidelines for sound surgical principles and good tips to avoid potential complications and to prevent medico legal pitfalls. Suture techniques, bladder repair, exclusive procedures like B-lynch, O’Leary stitch will be taught in a simple reproducible manner. Common iatrogenic complications will be explained with the aid of clinical anatomy, indigenously developed videos and creative learning techniques. From Perineal tears to ureteral injury, and from broad ligament hematoma to stepwise devascularization, we have a bonanza of learning for you. Our workshop is internationally acclaimed, popular and oversubscribed in the last 2 FIGO conferences at Canada, Brazil and now Australia. We have trained delegates at the RCOG conference in London, UK. We have excellent faculty with many years of clinical and surgical experience, with a balanced mixture of the academic professor, successful brilliant laparoscopic surgeon and senior, skilled, experienced, private practitioners with a very acknowledged, respected and flourishing clinical practice. Welcome to an excellent chance for learning and achieving greater clinical and surgical precision.

Time: 1:30 pm London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease (ISSVD) and Institute of Psychosexual Medicine (IPM)

Download the flyer here

Benign vulvar disease is an area which requires further gynaecological input: as these women have conditions with other co-morbidities which are not readily identified, with resulting negative impact on their disease and management. This is an interactive approach, taking on published research in the areas of vulvar dermatoses, vulvar pain syndrome, management challenges particularly in the sub-areas of Menopause and co-existing skin conditions and engaging debate within current dilemmas with regards ‘nouveau treatments’ and increasing demand from the LGBTQ+.
This Pre-Congress workshop facilitated by gynaecologists, a dermatologist, psychosexual experts, sexual and reproductive health and menopause expert, who come with a wide expertise on Benign Vulvar Disease. With practices in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and Nigeria, they provide an update on the following areas.

• Vulvar diseases in the Menopause: Challenges in Diagnosis and Management.
• Improving diagnosis in Dermatoses and other skin conditions
• Vulvar Dermatoses: New Frontiers
• Psychosexual aspects of Benign Vulvar disorders
• Vulvar pain syndromes
• Dilemmas with Benign Vulvar dermatoses (Interactive sessions)

This provides a very interactive, entertaining and educative opportunity to gain and/or reinforce diagnostic skills and management protocols for this group of women who are currently underserved."

Time: 8:30 pm London time (UTC+1)
Duration: 4 hours
Cost: USD 25
Organized by: University of Arizona

This session will begin by briefly reviewing the data on traditional mesh sacrocolpopexy, and identifying groups of patients for whom alternative techniques are desirable. Following this, three alternatives, a mesh-free technique using permanent sutures, colpopexy using fascia lata, and laparoscopic pectopexy, a new alternative to sacrocolpopexy developed in Germany, will be introduced via surgical videos. The next portion will focus on themesh-free uterosacral reconstruction technique with emphasis on how to achieve a 0% ureteral obstruction rate via good visualization and the use of peritoneal incisions to protect the ureter. Laparoscopic techniques for addressing anterior and posterior prolapse in addition to apical prolapse will be presented. The pros and cons of LAVH vs. TLH will be discussed. Next, a technique for performing a sacrocolpopexy using an autologous graft from the fascia lata of the thigh will be presented, with emphasis on the technique for obtaining the graft. The use of this type of graft in augmenting transvaginal repairs will also be discussed. Outcomes data from our institution will be presented. After this, the focus will shift to laparoscopic pectopexy. The history of the operation and data from Germany showing equivalency to sacrocolpopexy will be presented. Several videos will show how the course faculty have used the technique to deal with situations where sacrocolpopexy was impractical. The anatomy of the anterior pelvis will be reviewed with emphasis on how to reliably find the attachment points. This portion of the session will conclude with a discussion of how a surgeon who is currently performing sacrocolpopexy can incorporate pectopexy into their practice.