Latest news with #gynecology
News.com.au
14-07-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Researchers redesign vaginal speculum to ease fear and pain
It is cold, hard, metallic and commonly associated with pain. Not a mediaeval torture instrument, but the vaginal speculum used every day around the world for essential gynaecological exams. Two engineers at Delft University in the Netherlands are now rethinking the decades-old design of the speculum -- long dreaded by many patients -- to make it less intimidating and less painful. "I have a lot of experience with the vaginal speculum, unfortunately," Tamara Hoveling, one of the researchers behind the project, told AFP. "I've never seen it as a pleasurable experience and I've always wondered why it looks like this." - Sombre history - The PhD candidate in medical industrial design then delved into the dark history behind the creation of the speculum, one version of which was developed by United States doctor James Marion Sims 180 years ago. It was "tested on enslaved women without permission", said the 29-year-old. "So that motivated me even more to take on this project." Hoveling teamed up with Ariadna Izcara Gual, who was then working on her master's in industrial design engineering at Delft. "As I was doing a lot of interviews, I was doing those sort of sketches with the same sort of shape but people were still scared of the device", said the 28-year-old Spanish researcher. The Cusco speculum, the most commonly used model, is a metal device with a handle, beak and screw to adjust how wide it opens once inside the vagina. For many, its insertion is uncomfortable or even painful and causes anxiety. "When you get scared, your muscles clamp together and that makes it even harder to relax. "Then the speculum is opened, pushing against these tense muscles and making it even more painful," Hoveling said. "So I tried to look for shapes that might be related to the reproductive organs, like for example the flower, that also opens." - Patient-friendly design - The result was a prototype called the Lilium -- named after the lily flower. Like the more familiar tampon, it has soft plastic and an applicator. "It's designed with the patient in mind rather than the doctor. "And we're really trying to improve the comfort aspect in a sensitive spot." The Lilium also meets doctors' needs. Its three-sided opening keeps the vaginal walls from collapsing, allowing better visibility during examinations. The Lilium remains at an early stage, with further ergonomic testing and material research needed to refine the prototype. The researchers must still secure safety certifications, run human trials and obtain regulatory approval before it can reach clinics. - Dazzling success - To fund the next phase, they launched a crowdfunding campaign that quickly drew media attention in the Netherlands. Within just two days, the campaign raised 100,000 euros ($117,000) -- far surpassing expectations. "It's also a sign. It's proof there are people who really want change, that there is a real problem here and that the current market solutions are not the best," Hoveling said. "I've received a lot of emails from women who told me they actually don't go to the gynaecologist because of this device, because they're scared, because they have a traumatic experience." Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer among women, according to the World Health Organization. It can be detected via a smear test or HPV screening -- both performed using a speculum. With funding to allow this new gynaecological tool to be developed properly, the Lilium could be saving lives within five years.
RNZ News
07-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Staff beg Health NZ not to swap Wellington Hospital maternity, gynecology beds for ED patients
Health New Zealand is proposing to cut beds from Wellington Hospital's maternity and gynecology wards and re-allocate them for emergency department patients. Photo: RNZ / REECE BAKER Midwives and specialists are begging Health New Zealand to abandon a proposal to cut beds from Wellington Hospital's maternity and gynecology wards. In what's being described as an emotional meeting at the hospital, staff and community midwives on Monday told the agency not to go ahead with a four month trial that would re-allocate 12 beds to create a medical ward for patients from the over-crowded emergency department. Health NZ has been approached for comment following yesterday's meeting. It has previously said it expected the same number of patients could be cared for once the changes were in place and that occupancy figures showed maternity often had unused beds. But staff maintained the wards are often at capacity. Independent midwife (LMC) and Wellington chair of the College of Midwives Suzi Hume said more than 100 people showed up in person and online at Monday's meeting to oppose the trial - slated to start next month. She said the message to management was a resounding "you cannot do this" with people queuing for the microphone. Hume said teams from Lower Hutt also attended as they would be affected under the current proposal. "Part of the escalation plan if we get bed blocked (in Wellington) is to send people out to the Hutt - that has already happened without this." She said there was huge sympathy for colleagues working under extreme pressure in an overcrowded emergency department but said cutting beds from gynaecology and maternity was not the solution. She said management had failed to understand how the maternity wards worked - which was a focus of a lot of discussion at the meeting. "We run like an ED too, we run an acute service. People come in directly from the community directly into our service as well. "We don't know what's going to happen overnight, who's going to be walking through the doors, or in the day, and we have to be ready - have to have spare beds available for whatever arises." An obstetrician who was there, who RNZ has agreed not to name, said the proposal had come completely out of the blue. She said the discusion was robust, but was surprised by its civility given the "enormity of the changes". "A lot of very emotional people because we believe really strongly in this - that this is the wrong move for the hospital. "Everyone is already extremely under the pump - particularly the midwives - you can see day-to-day how they're struggling." She said the maternity wards were already at capacity and she was worried the trial would compromise the hospital's ability to accept transfers from outside the region. "I was on call last week and I accepted two women for transfer who were both less than 24 hours after C-section (cesarean) ,whose babies were being managed in our neonatal unit, who were seriously unwell, and I don't know where those women would go if this change was brought in and we didn't have beds to accomodate them." The obstetrician said Health NZ stressed to those at the meeting that the trial was just a proposal and she said there appeared to be room for negotiation. In response to RNZ's questions, Health Minister Simeon Brown said the government was committed to timely, quality healthcare for everyone, including pregnant women. "I am advised that Health NZ will be working closely with their staff on these changes and that during this trial period, Wellington Regional Hospital will continue to provide high-quality care to the same number of obstetrics and gynaecology patients." Meanwhile, the New Zealand Nurses Organisation said figures obtained under the Official Information Act showed the gynaecology ward, which would lose beds in the trial, was short-staffed for more than a quarter of all shifts. Union delegate Michelle Cotton said safe-staffing levels from January to October last year showed the ward did not have enough nurses for 27 percent of all shifts. She said the organisation thought the government's six-hour wait time target for emergency departments was the motivation for the trial. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
ASK DR ELLIE: Intimate discomfort is ruining my life... what can I do about it?
I have been diagnosed with vaginal atrophy which causes Dr Ellie responds: Vaginal atrophy is one of the most debilitating issues that occurs following the menopause.
Arab News
27-06-2025
- Health
- Arab News
KSrelief opens obstetrics and gynecology clinic at Gaza hospital
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has officially opened a gynecology and obstetrics clinic at the Patient Friends Benevolent Society Hospital in the Gaza Strip. Founded in 1980, the hospital in Gaza City's Al-Rimal neighborhood is one of the few that remain operational in the territory amid devastating attacks by Israeli forces during their ongoing war with Hamas, which began in October 2023. KSrelief opened the clinic on Wednesday in cooperation with the UN Population Fund, which works to improve reproductive and maternal health worldwide. The initiative is part of Saudi efforts to support the Palestinian people and help improve and maintain the healthcare services available to them, the Saudi Press Agency reported. On Thursday, Saudi authorities delivered $30 million in funding to the Palestinian Authority. It was the latest installment in ongoing financial support from the Kingdom that Palestinian officials said has been instrumental in efforts to maintain the health and education sectors. It has helped meet the costs of running hospitals, purchasing medicines and medical equipment, keeping schools open, and providing other essential services.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Gynecology Collaboration and Licensing Agreement Trends Analysis Report 2025
Dublin, June 25, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Gynecology Collaboration and Licensing Deals 2016-2025" report has been added to Collaboration and Licensing Deals provides a comprehensive understanding and unprecedented access to the gynecology deals entered into by the worlds leading biopharma revised and updated, the report provides details of 150 gynecology deals from 2016 to 2025. The report provides access to deal payment terms as announced between the parties. This data provides useful insight into the payment and other deal the flexibility of a prospective partner's negotiated deals terms provides critical insight into the negotiation process in terms of what you can expect to achieve during the negotiation of terms. Whilst many smaller companies will be seeking details of the payments clauses, the devil is in the detail in terms of how payments are triggered and rights transferred - contract documents provide this insight where press releases and databases do report contains a comprehensive listing of collaboration and licensing deals announced since 2016 as recorded in the Current Agreements deals and alliances database, including financial terms where available, plus links to online copies of actual licensing contract documents as submitted to the Securities Exchange Commission by companies and their initial chapters of this report provide an orientation of gynecology dealmaking and business activities. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the report, whilst chapter 2 provides an analysis of the trends in gynecology 3 covers the financial deal terms for deals signed in the gynecology field with stage of development announced. Deals are listed and sectioned by headline value, upfront payment, milestone payment and royalty 4 provides a review of the top 25 most active biopharma companies in gynecology dealmaking. Where the deal has an agreement contract published at the SEC a link provides online access to the contract via the Current Agreements deals and alliances 5 provides a comprehensive and detailed review of gynecology deals signed and announced since 2016 where a contract document is available. Each deal title links via Weblink to an online version of the actual contract document, providing easy access to each contract document on 6 provides a comprehensive directory of gynecology deals listed by therapeutic report also includes numerous table and figures that illustrate the trends and activities in gynecology deal making since addition, a comprehensive deal directory is provided organized by company A-Z and technology type. Each deal title links via Weblink to an online version of the deal record and where available, the contract document, providing easy access to each contract document on Collaboration and Licensing Deals provides the reader with the following key benefits: Understand deal trends since 2016 Browse gynecology collaboration and licensing deals Benchmark analysis - identify market value of transactions Financials terms - upfront, milestone, royalties Directory of deals by company A-Z, therapy focus and technology type Leading deals by value Most active dealmakers Identify assets and deal terms for each transaction Access contract documents - insights into deal structures Due diligence - assess suitability of your proposed deal terms for partner companies Save hundreds of hours of research time Gynecology Collaboration and Licensing Deals includes: Trends in gynecology dealmaking in the biopharma industry Overview of collaboration and licensing deal structure Directory of gynecology deal records covering pharmaceutical and biotechnology The leading gynecology deals by value Most active gynecology licensing dealmakers Analyzing contract agreements allows due diligence of: What are the precise rights granted or optioned? What is actually granted by the agreement to the partner company? What exclusivity is granted? What is the payment structure for the deal? How are sales and payments audited? What is the deal term? How are the key terms of the agreement defined? How are IPRs handled and owned? Who is responsible for commercialization? Who is responsible for development, supply, and manufacture? How is confidentiality and publication managed? How are disputes to be resolved? Under what conditions can the deal be terminated? What happens when there is a change of ownership? What sublicensing and subcontracting provisions have been agreed? Which boilerplate clauses does the company insist upon? Which boilerplate clauses appear to differ from partner to partner or deal type to deal type? Which jurisdiction does the company insist upon for agreement law? Key Topics Covered: Chapter 1 - IntroductionChapter 2 - Trends in gynecology dealmaking2.1. Introduction2.2. Gynecology partnering over the years2.3. Gynecology partnering by deal type2.4. Gynecology partnering by industry sector2.5. Gynecology partnering by stage of development2.6. Gynecology partnering by technology type2.7. Gynecology partnering by therapeutic indicationChapter 3 - Financial deal terms for gynecology partnering3.1. Introduction3.2. Disclosed financials terms for gynecology partnering3.3. Gynecology partnering headline values3.4. Gynecology deal upfront payments3.5. Gynecology deal milestone payments3.6. Gynecology royalty ratesChapter 4 - Leading gynecology deals and dealmakers4.1. Introduction4.2. Most active in gynecology partnering4.3. List of most active dealmakers in gynecology4.4. Top gynecology deals by valueChapter 5 - Gynecology contract document directory5.1. Introduction5.2. Gynecology partnering deals where contract document availableChapter 6 - Gynecology dealmaking by therapeutic target6.1. Introduction6.2. Deals by gynecology therapeutic targetCompanies Featured 23andMe Aarhus University Abbott Laboratories Abbvie Accord Healthcare Acerus Ache AdaptivEndo Advaxis Adynxx AIMA Laboratories AIVF Allakos Allegheny Technologies Altavant Sciences Amag Pharmaceuticals American Dental Association Amring Pharmaceuticals AntibioTx ApolloBio Aptorum Group Ascend Therapeutics Asieris MediTech ASKA Pharmaceuticals Aspen Pharmacare Canada AstraZeneca Auransa Avion Pharmaceuticals Avomeen Bayer Besins Healthcare Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Biofourmis BioGen Medical BioNano Genomics BioPep BioSyent Pharma BioVaxys Bloom Fertility BMV Medica Brigham and Women's Hospital California Cryobank Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas Celmatix Chinese Academy of Sciences Chugai Pharmaceutical Cicero Diagnostics Co-Diagnostics Cocrystal Pharma Conceptions Reproductive Associates of Colorado Conduit Pharmaceuticals Consortia Health ConTipi Control Flo Medical Coriell Life Sciences Cosette Pharmaceuticals CR Pharma Dare Bioscience Department of Defense Dewpoint Therapeutics Duke University Easton Pharmaceuticals Egalet Embr Labs Emory University EndoCeutics Enzyvant Science Especificos Stendhal Eurofins LifeCodexx European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology European Wellness Biomedical Group Evidation Health Evofem Biosciences Evotec Evvy Exeltis Expedeon ExSeed Ferring Pharmaceuticals Flo Health Foresee Pharmaceuticals Fujifilm Irvine Scientific Fuji Pharma Gameto Gedeon Richter Genea Biomedx Genetiks Genome Medical Genomic Prediction German Cancer Research Center Gilead Sciences GOG Foundation Good Start Genetics Granata Bio Guided Therapeutics Gynica Halt Medical Hammock Pharmaceuticals Health Decisions Helix Helix BioPharma Highmark Health Hologic Hope Medicine Hyloris Pharmaceuticals IBSA Group iGenomix Igyxos Illumina Indegene Lifesystems InnerOptic Technology Innovative Health Diagnostics Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inserm Transfert INVO Bioscience Jiangsu Hansoh Pharmaceutical Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Johns Hopkins University Joylux Karolinska Institute KinoPharma Knight Therapeutics LinKinVax LUCA Science Lumir Lab mAbXience Massachusetts General Hospital Mayne Pharma MD Anderson Cancer Center MDNA Life Sciences Medinova Meitheal Pharmaceuticals Menarini MenoGeniX Merck and Co Merck KGaA Microbix Biosystems MicroGenDX MilanaPharm Millendo Therapeutics Millicent Pharma Milu Labs Mithra Pharmaceuticals Morphic Therapeutic Mundipharma MyBiotics Pharma Mycovia Pharmaceuticals Myovant Sciences Nanjing King-friend Biochemical Pharmaceutical National Human Genome Research Institute National Institute of Child Health and Human Development National Institute on Aging National Institutes of Health Novan NuProbe NX Prenatal ObsEva OmniVision Technologies OncoNano Medicine One Drop Osel Osivax Osteolabs Ovation Oviva Therapeutics OvuSense Palatin Technologies PaxGenBio PDS Biotechnology Pearsanta Pfizer PharmaJet Pharmanest Phase Genomics Photocure ASA Pierre Fabre PolarisQB Predictive Technology Group Procare Health Psyche Systems Purna Pharmaceuticals QIAGEN Radius Health Rebiotix ReproCell Roivant Sciences Royal Philips Electronics Scholar Rock Searchlight Pharma Selexis Sema4 Shandong Yaohua Medical Instrument Shenghuo Medical Skive Hospital Starpharma Statens Serum Institute St George Street Capital Strainprint Technologies Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Sumitovant Biopharma Sun Pharmaceutical Syneos Health SynteractHCR Systems Oncology Takeda Pharmaceutical Tessa Therapeutics Texas A&M University Theramex TherapeuticsMD Thermo Fisher Scientific TiumBio TMRW Life Sciences Transgene twoXAR Ulisse Biomed University of Antwerp University of Illinois University of Leuven University of Oxford UpScriptHealth Urovant Sciences Vaccibody Valeo Pharma Veritas Viatris VICHY Laboratoires Viramal VirtaMed Vitro Biopharma Woom Xbrane Biopharma Xisle Pharma Ventures Trust For more information about this report visit About is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends. CONTACT: CONTACT: Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@ For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
