Latest news with #FHI360
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Wheelchair Basketball India Exchange Programme begins in Coimbatore
COIMBATORE: The Wheelchair Basketball India Exchange Programme, a sporting and cultural exchange initiative between India and the US, began in Coimbatore on Wednesday. The programme, supported by the US Department of State's sports diplomacy division, aims to foster sports skills, promote student success, celebrate cross-cultural understanding and advocate for greater social inclusion. The Inbound Sports & Cultural Exchange Programme between the US and Tamil Nadu, in collaboration with the Sittruli Foundation and the Tamil Nadu Wheelchair Basketball Association, is being hosted at Kumaraguru Institutions in the city. The programme, which brings together athletes, coaches and volunteers, will end on Aug 10. The United States delegation comprises 13 collegiate wheelchair basketball athletes and three coaches from six universities, including the University of Alabama, University of Arizona, University of Missouri, University of Illinois, and the City University of New York (CUNY). Dr K Sudhakar, president of the Tamil Nadu Wheelchair Basketball Association and managing director of Sudha Hospitals, Erode, highlighted the development and challenges of wheelchair basketball in India, sharing his personal journey and the sport's growth in Erode. He compared wheelchair basketball in India and the United States, pointing out that Indian teams use heavier outdoor wheelchairs (18-19 kg) compared to the lighter indoor models (8-9 kg) used in the US. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Why Crypto CFDs May Suit Your Portfolio IC Markets Learn More Undo He advocated for mutual learning between the two styles to enhance athletes' skills on both sides. He announced plans to revitalize the Tamil Nadu Wheelchair Basketball Association, with the goal of making wheelchair basketball a mainstream, inclusive sport. Dr Rama Rajasekaran, director of Ganga Hospital, emphasized the vision of their rehabilitation centre and its crucial role in promoting para-sports. She said, "The initiative began more than 12 years ago, inspired by a spine-injured patient who emphasized the importance of continued rehabilitation and support beyond hospital care." She emphasized the growing significance of para-sports in India, the govt's support, and the need for continued sponsorship and support for athletes, particularly regarding their classification and international travel for competitions. Tyler Ellis, international sports exchange coordinator at FHI 360, said, "This collaborative exchange enables us to learn more about each other's cultures, building pathways to more effective diplomatic relations." FHI 360 is an international nonprofit organization that serves as an implementing partner for the U.S. Department of State's Sports Visitor Programme.
CNN
21-05-2025
- Health
- CNN
Is it healthy to skip your period on birth control? A medical expert weighs in
Don't like having your period? Hormonal birth control can be used for more than just preventing pregnancy — it's also a popular way to go months or even years without a period. Continuous use birth control involves taking hormonal pills without what's called a placebo week or using other methods such as an implant, ring or injections without a break. This method can end the regular bleeding associated with periods, as well as the cramps, migraines and other symptoms of menstruation. As social media becomes a hotbed for amateur medical advice and personal anecdotes, posts about getting off the pill and preventing pregnancy through nonhormonal methods rake in thousands of views daily on apps like TikTok. As influencers share their fears about infertility and the possible harms of suppressing your body's natural processes, reproductive experts say myths and misinformation about hormonal birth control are on the rise. To understand more about the risks, rewards and science behind using birth control to forego menstruation, I had a chat with reproductive health expert Dr. Kavita Nanda. As an obstetrician-gynecologist and clinical researcher for the North Carolina-based human development nonprofit FHI 360, Nanda has spent over 25 years studying continuous use birth control and other forms of contraception. This conversation has been condensed for length and clarity. CNN: How does hormonal birth control work? Dr. Kavita Nanda: Combined contraceptives use synthetic forms of estrogen and progesterone together. Combination methods work to prevent pregnancy by preventing ovulation, which is the release of an egg from the ovaries. Other methods use synthetic progesterone only, including pills, implants, injectables and intrauterine devices, or IUDs. Both combined and progestin-only methods make the mucus in your cervix thicker, which makes it hard for sperm to enter the uterus, and the lining of your uterus also remains thin. CNN: What is continuous use? And how does it differ from other methods? Nanda: The standard way to take combined contraceptives is cyclically, every day for three weeks, and then you have a break in the hormones for a week. You either don't take a pill, or you take a placebo for a week, so you have what's called a withdrawal bleed. The lining of the uterus sheds, and that's what people call a 'period,' although it's really just a hormone-free withdrawal bleed. But when we talk about continuous use, you don't take any breaks. The uterine lining stays thin and intact, and this means that users can go weeks, months or even longer, without a 'period.' CNN: How long can you safely go without a monthly bleed? Nanda: There have been studies comparing continuous versus cyclical use, and it's just as effective and just as safe. There's no medical reason to have a period or withdrawal bleed when you're on hormonal contraceptives. As long as you don't have any contraindications (medical conditions) for the birth control pill, you don't have contraindications for the continuous use of the pill. Historically, before contraception, women didn't necessarily bleed all the time, because a lot of time was spent either being pregnant or breastfeeding. In both of those conditions, there's no monthly bleeding, often for months. Now, if you're not pregnant or breastfeeding, you're not on hormonal contraception, and you don't have a monthly period — that's something you do need to discuss with your provider, because that could signal an issue. CNN: Are there any side effects specific to continuous use? Nanda: The side effects in general are similar to those with cyclical use. For example, you might have nausea, breast tenderness and headaches (at any time). With continuous use, some people experience unexpected breakthrough bleeding or spotting, especially initially, but this usually improves over time, and many people do achieve amenorrhea or (the) cessation of menses. For some people, it may take three to four months. CNN: How does continuous use affect fertility after stopping? Nanda: There's no evidence that long-term use of hormonal contraception — whether it's combined hormonal interception, taken continuously or cyclically — causes infertility, and fertility typically returns within a month or two. Basically, once you stop, the (synthetic) hormones go away very quickly from the blood, ovulation is no longer suppressed, your normal estrogen and progesterone production resume. Assuming that you had normal menstrual cycles before, they would resume. (One exception is) if you're taking something like the Depo Provera contraceptive injection. It doesn't cause infertility, but it may take longer for fertility to return after injections. CNN: Why were placebo pills invented if there's no harm in skipping them? Nanda: When the combined oral contraceptive pill was developed in the 1950s, the now-standard 21 days of active pills followed by a seven-day hormone-free interval was not based on medical necessity, but rather on cultural and strategic reasons. At the time, there was a widely held belief that menstruating every 28 days was a sign of normal female reproductive function. To align with that expectation, the regimen was designed to mimic a natural menstrual cycle, with a monthly withdrawal bleed intended to reassure both users and physicians that they were not pregnant — important in an era before home pregnancy tests were readily available — and, at the time, to help ease religious and societal resistance to contraception. CNN: Who may consider continuous use birth control? Nanda: It's really a personal preference and a discussion between a person and their provider. Someone might not want to have a period for years, or some people prefer to bleed three times a year. Some people feel reassured by monthly bleeding. Continuous use may be especially helpful for people who have painful periods, heavy periods, endometriosis, migraines, iron-deficiency anemia, physical or intellectual disabilities, and transgender individuals. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
CNN
21-05-2025
- Health
- CNN
Is it healthy to skip your period on birth control? A medical expert weighs in
Women's health Maternal healthFacebookTweetLink Follow Don't like having your period? Hormonal birth control can be used for more than just preventing pregnancy — it's also a popular way to go months or even years without a period. Continuous use birth control involves taking hormonal pills without what's called a placebo week or using other methods such as an implant, ring or injections without a break. This method can end the regular bleeding associated with periods, as well as the cramps, migraines and other symptoms of menstruation. As social media becomes a hotbed for amateur medical advice and personal anecdotes, posts about getting off the pill and preventing pregnancy through nonhormonal methods rake in thousands of views daily on apps like TikTok. As influencers share their fears about infertility and the possible harms of suppressing your body's natural processes, reproductive experts say myths and misinformation about hormonal birth control are on the rise. To understand more about the risks, rewards and science behind using birth control to forego menstruation, I had a chat with reproductive health expert Dr. Kavita Nanda. As an obstetrician-gynecologist and clinical researcher for the North Carolina-based human development nonprofit FHI 360, Nanda has spent over 25 years studying continuous use birth control and other forms of contraception. This conversation has been condensed for length and clarity. CNN: How does hormonal birth control work? Dr. Kavita Nanda: Combined contraceptives use synthetic forms of estrogen and progesterone together. Combination methods work to prevent pregnancy by preventing ovulation, which is the release of an egg from the ovaries. Other methods use synthetic progesterone only, including pills, implants, injectables and intrauterine devices, or IUDs. Both combined and progestin-only methods make the mucus in your cervix thicker, which makes it hard for sperm to enter the uterus, and the lining of your uterus also remains thin. CNN: What is continuous use? And how does it differ from other methods? Nanda: The standard way to take combined contraceptives is cyclically, every day for three weeks, and then you have a break in the hormones for a week. You either don't take a pill, or you take a placebo for a week, so you have what's called a withdrawal bleed. The lining of the uterus sheds, and that's what people call a 'period,' although it's really just a hormone-free withdrawal bleed. But when we talk about continuous use, you don't take any breaks. The uterine lining stays thin and intact, and this means that users can go weeks, months or even longer, without a 'period.' CNN: How long can you safely go without a monthly bleed? Nanda: There have been studies comparing continuous versus cyclical use, and it's just as effective and just as safe. There's no medical reason to have a period or withdrawal bleed when you're on hormonal contraceptives. As long as you don't have any contraindications (medical conditions) for the birth control pill, you don't have contraindications for the continuous use of the pill. Historically, before contraception, women didn't necessarily bleed all the time, because a lot of time was spent either being pregnant or breastfeeding. In both of those conditions, there's no monthly bleeding, often for months. Now, if you're not pregnant or breastfeeding, you're not on hormonal contraception, and you don't have a monthly period — that's something you do need to discuss with your provider, because that could signal an issue. CNN: Are there any side effects specific to continuous use? Nanda: The side effects in general are similar to those with cyclical use. For example, you might have nausea, breast tenderness and headaches (at any time). With continuous use, some people experience unexpected breakthrough bleeding or spotting, especially initially, but this usually improves over time, and many people do achieve amenorrhea or (the) cessation of menses. For some people, it may take three to four months. CNN: How does continuous use affect fertility after stopping? Nanda: There's no evidence that long-term use of hormonal contraception — whether it's combined hormonal interception, taken continuously or cyclically — causes infertility, and fertility typically returns within a month or two. Basically, once you stop, the (synthetic) hormones go away very quickly from the blood, ovulation is no longer suppressed, your normal estrogen and progesterone production resume. Assuming that you had normal menstrual cycles before, they would resume. (One exception is) if you're taking something like the Depo Provera contraceptive injection. It doesn't cause infertility, but it may take longer for fertility to return after injections. CNN: Why were placebo pills invented if there's no harm in skipping them? Nanda: When the combined oral contraceptive pill was developed in the 1950s, the now-standard 21 days of active pills followed by a seven-day hormone-free interval was not based on medical necessity, but rather on cultural and strategic reasons. At the time, there was a widely held belief that menstruating every 28 days was a sign of normal female reproductive function. To align with that expectation, the regimen was designed to mimic a natural menstrual cycle, with a monthly withdrawal bleed intended to reassure both users and physicians that they were not pregnant — important in an era before home pregnancy tests were readily available — and, at the time, to help ease religious and societal resistance to contraception. CNN: Who may consider continuous use birth control? Nanda: It's really a personal preference and a discussion between a person and their provider. Someone might not want to have a period for years, or some people prefer to bleed three times a year. Some people feel reassured by monthly bleeding. Continuous use may be especially helpful for people who have painful periods, heavy periods, endometriosis, migraines, iron-deficiency anemia, physical or intellectual disabilities, and transgender individuals. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
CNN
21-05-2025
- Health
- CNN
Is it healthy to skip your period on birth control? A medical expert weighs in
Don't like having your period? Hormonal birth control can be used for more than just preventing pregnancy — it's also a popular way to go months or even years without a period. Continuous use birth control involves taking hormonal pills without what's called a placebo week or using other methods such as an implant, ring or injections without a break. This method can end the regular bleeding associated with periods, as well as the cramps, migraines and other symptoms of menstruation. As social media becomes a hotbed for amateur medical advice and personal anecdotes, posts about getting off the pill and preventing pregnancy through nonhormonal methods rake in thousands of views daily on apps like TikTok. As influencers share their fears about infertility and the possible harms of suppressing your body's natural processes, reproductive experts say myths and misinformation about hormonal birth control are on the rise. To understand more about the risks, rewards and science behind using birth control to forego menstruation, I had a chat with reproductive health expert Dr. Kavita Nanda. As an obstetrician-gynecologist and clinical researcher for the North Carolina-based human development nonprofit FHI 360, Nanda has spent over 25 years studying continuous use birth control and other forms of contraception. This conversation has been condensed for length and clarity. CNN: How does hormonal birth control work? Dr. Kavita Nanda: Combined contraceptives use synthetic forms of estrogen and progesterone together. Combination methods work to prevent pregnancy by preventing ovulation, which is the release of an egg from the ovaries. Other methods use synthetic progesterone only, including pills, implants, injectables and intrauterine devices, or IUDs. Both combined and progestin-only methods make the mucus in your cervix thicker, which makes it hard for sperm to enter the uterus, and the lining of your uterus also remains thin. CNN: What is continuous use? And how does it differ from other methods? Nanda: The standard way to take combined contraceptives is cyclically, every day for three weeks, and then you have a break in the hormones for a week. You either don't take a pill, or you take a placebo for a week, so you have what's called a withdrawal bleed. The lining of the uterus sheds, and that's what people call a 'period,' although it's really just a hormone-free withdrawal bleed. But when we talk about continuous use, you don't take any breaks. The uterine lining stays thin and intact, and this means that users can go weeks, months or even longer, without a 'period.' CNN: How long can you safely go without a monthly bleed? Nanda: There have been studies comparing continuous versus cyclical use, and it's just as effective and just as safe. There's no medical reason to have a period or withdrawal bleed when you're on hormonal contraceptives. As long as you don't have any contraindications (medical conditions) for the birth control pill, you don't have contraindications for the continuous use of the pill. Historically, before contraception, women didn't necessarily bleed all the time, because a lot of time was spent either being pregnant or breastfeeding. In both of those conditions, there's no monthly bleeding, often for months. Now, if you're not pregnant or breastfeeding, you're not on hormonal contraception, and you don't have a monthly period — that's something you do need to discuss with your provider, because that could signal an issue. CNN: Are there any side effects specific to continuous use? Nanda: The side effects in general are similar to those with cyclical use. For example, you might have nausea, breast tenderness and headaches (at any time). With continuous use, some people experience unexpected breakthrough bleeding or spotting, especially initially, but this usually improves over time, and many people do achieve amenorrhea or (the) cessation of menses. For some people, it may take three to four months. CNN: How does continuous use affect fertility after stopping? Nanda: There's no evidence that long-term use of hormonal contraception — whether it's combined hormonal interception, taken continuously or cyclically — causes infertility, and fertility typically returns within a month or two. Basically, once you stop, the (synthetic) hormones go away very quickly from the blood, ovulation is no longer suppressed, your normal estrogen and progesterone production resume. Assuming that you had normal menstrual cycles before, they would resume. (One exception is) if you're taking something like the Depo Provera contraceptive injection. It doesn't cause infertility, but it may take longer for fertility to return after injections. CNN: Why were placebo pills invented if there's no harm in skipping them? Nanda: When the combined oral contraceptive pill was developed in the 1950s, the now-standard 21 days of active pills followed by a seven-day hormone-free interval was not based on medical necessity, but rather on cultural and strategic reasons. At the time, there was a widely held belief that menstruating every 28 days was a sign of normal female reproductive function. To align with that expectation, the regimen was designed to mimic a natural menstrual cycle, with a monthly withdrawal bleed intended to reassure both users and physicians that they were not pregnant — important in an era before home pregnancy tests were readily available — and, at the time, to help ease religious and societal resistance to contraception. CNN: Who may consider continuous use birth control? Nanda: It's really a personal preference and a discussion between a person and their provider. Someone might not want to have a period for years, or some people prefer to bleed three times a year. Some people feel reassured by monthly bleeding. Continuous use may be especially helpful for people who have painful periods, heavy periods, endometriosis, migraines, iron-deficiency anemia, physical or intellectual disabilities, and transgender individuals. Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Experts report nationwide trend that could save tens of thousands of lives each year: 'One of the highest rates in the world'
Fifty years ago, Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, kicked off an effort to electrify its public transportation. Today, a dozen dusty and abandoned electric buses are what's left of that original effort according to The Guardian. But, the outlet reports, the electric dream may be experiencing a major resurgence in the South Asian country: "More than 70% of four-wheeled passenger vehicles — largely cars and minibuses — imported into Nepal last year were electric, one of the highest rates in the world." This surge in popularity appears at least partly to be cost-driven, as import taxes on EVs, no need for gas, and less need for maintenance all favor the cleaner-energy options. Meanwhile, the switch from gas-guzzling vehicles could offer an assist in the fight against pollution in Nepal, where the Air Quality Life Index at the University of Chicago wrote in 2024 that about 50,000 people are dying annually due to dirty air: "According to the Ministry of Health, 66 percent of deaths from chronic lung disease are caused by air pollution. Similarly, 34 percent of deaths from heart disease, 37 percent of deaths from stroke, and 22 percent of deaths from respiratory infections are caused by air pollution." The Guardian further reported that Kathmandu, located in a pollution-trapping valley, is often covered over in smog. "Our analysis shows that transport contributes to about one-fourth of the fine particle matter air pollution in the valley," David Sislen of the World Bank told the publication. "Motorists switching to EVs is an important part of getting towards cleaner skies and improved health." Beyond Nepal's borders, a massive worldwide switch to EVs could help combat rising global temperatures. EVs produce far less planet-warming pollution over their lifecycles, and one country demonstrating their utility on a mass scale has the potential to encourage more to follow suit. But challenges remain, as the EV transition hasn't yet wholly remade the public transportation system Kathmandu once sought to revolutionize. The initial costs of purchasing electric buses and a lack of charging infrastructure are among the obstacles, Bhushan Tuladhar of FHI 360's USAID Clean Air and public transport cooperative Sajha Yatayat told The Guardian. FHI 360 and USAID previously worked to get electric public transit back on track after the COVID pandemic and "created green jobs in the process" with a sustainable training program to support women from under-resourced communities in becoming licensed drivers of electric three-wheelers. The Guardian reported that there are "hundreds" of such three-wheelers in operation. And the co-op Sajha Yatayat brought 40 electric buses and 24 charging stations to Kathmandu, the local Annapurna Express reported in 2024. Nepal isn't alone in its EV surge. For instance, EV sales rose by 46% in the United States in 2023. The Oakland Unified School District in California became the first major school district in the country to convert to an all-electric school bus system, and large companies like Tootbus, which runs sightseeing buses in Europe, are going electric as well. The United Nations Environment Programme has also said "2025 could be the year of the electric vehicle in developing countries." Would you want EV-charging roads installed in your town? Sign me up Depends how much it costs No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
