July 2017

Newsletter
Newsletter Editor Dr Heather Rowe
Logo based on painting by Omar Biscotti

Welcome from the
President
Dear ISPOG members,
Welcome to our first 2017
newsletter
thatwasannounced for spring andreaches you now insummertime. Time passes
quickly and our ExComeeting that was held during an inspiring
congress in the lively city of Dublin dates
almost three months back already.
In-between I had two additional opportunities
to offer workshops such as the one on
professional burnout given together with
Carlos Damonte Khouri in Dublin. At the end of
March Leroy Edozien organized a BSBOG
Training Day at the RCOG in London including
a workshop on communication skills forchallenging consultations given by Marieke
Paarlberg and me. Furthermore Leroy Edozien,Ernesto Gonzales Mesa, current president of
the Spanish POG, and I were invited tocontribute to an extraordinary EBCOG
congress held in Antalya at the occasion of
the annual congress of the Turkish Society of
Obstetrics and Gynecology (TJOD). In
collaboration with our Turkish colleagues
Türker Cavas, Kamile Kukulu and Recep Has
we held two master classes on prenatal
counsellingandperinatal
depression
respectively. They were well attended andapproved by our Turkish colleagues andshowed once more that our interactive format
is convincing. Our presence at this congress
was another opportunity to deepen thecollaboration with EBCOG, which is not
restricted to our presence at their congresses.
It also comprises our contribution to theirattempts to develop a Pan-European training
curriculum in Obstetrics and Gynaecology(PACT). The development of this curriculum isthe task of the EBCOG Standing Committee
on Training and Assessement (SCTA) andISPOG can actively contribute by taking partin the regular meetings of this committee.
Thanks to the efforts of Marieke Paarlberg,
who attended the last meeting, “Electives
considering Bio-Psycho-Social Obstetrics andGynaecology and Sexual Health” could be
integrated in all elective parts of thecurriculum.
In June I followed Ernesto Gonzales Mesa’s
invitation to contribute to one of thepsychosomatic sessions at the annual
congress of the Spanish Society of Obstetrics
and Gynaecology. My talk and especially myefforts to give it in Spanish were well received
and my visit in Oviedo was another good
example of how important and fruitful theexchange between ISPOG and the nationalsocieties can be. Aside from me, all board
members, as well as other actively engaged
colleagues are happy to accept yourinvitations to attend and contribute to yournational meetings and congresses!
Eventually at the end of June I had theopportunity to attend the handover of theMirjam de Senarclens prize. You will be able toread more about the prize and its winner in thisnewsletter.
This issue of the newsletter is mainly dedicatedto the updates provided by eight nationalsocieties. Furthermore we celebrate thelaunch of the POG textbook, give you an
update on our social media presence and on
our efforts in education. We close thenewsletter with some notices and important
information.
What is still missing and what we hope toprovide you with at the end of this summer, islatest news on the progress of the organisationof our next congress in Seoul in 2019.
With best wishes to all of you and in the hopethat we will meet your representative(s) next
year in Budapest
Sibil Tschudin

Around the World
Below is the result of our call for updates about
activities of the national member societies. It isgood for all of us to read about others’ POG
initiatives to gain ideas and to foster intercountry communication.

Australia

The past 12 months has been a 'settling in time'
for the new and dynamic committee whocame on board at the AGM of the 2017
Annual Scientific meeting in Hobart. We
attracted six new council members from both
medical and social science disciplines who
are already making their mark on the society
and will shape the ASPOG of the future. In linewith our policy of being a true National society
the Annual Scientific Meeting this year will bein Brisbane in August in the State ofQueensland, where sponsorship was denied
because we were discussing abortion! ASPOG
clearly still has a job to do in discussing difficult
topics in an evidence based, professional andinformed manner. We are finally engaging
with Social Media and look forward to a
productive 2017/18.
With best wishes to all ISPOG members
worldwide.
Susan Carr

Germany
The national OBGYN congress (Stuttgart,
October 2016) attracted more than 5000
Gynaecologists. The German Society ofPsychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology
had many opportunities to influence thisgeneral OBGYN congress, with seminars andworkshops regarding infertility, delivery andbonding problems between mother and child,peripartal disturbances, chronic pelvic pain,
psycho-oncology,
femalepatients
inmigration, dealing with mistakes andcommunication, and sexual therapy. As aresult we can state that psychosomatic
OBGYN has a strong impact on the national
OBGYN congress. The yearly psychosomatic
OBGYN congress was held at Dresden March
1-4, 2017. The program was focussed on“Das Eigene und das Fremde” (the self andthe foreign world). More than 350 physicians,
midwives and social workers attended thecongress, which had a full program of lectures,
guidelines, free communication and posters.
All lecturers of free communications andposters at the yearly congress 2016 at
Hamburg received a free copy of ISPOG’s
Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics andGynecology. For the year 2017 20 journals for
one year are distributed courtesy of theGerman Society. The congress website is at
http://www.dgpfg-kongress.de/
Heribert Kentenich

Hungary

Group from the University of Debrecen at the
HSPOG Congress

The IXth Congress of the HSPOG (Szeged 2016)
was organized by University of Szeged,
Department of O-G and the HSPOG. Amongthe invited lectures Prof. Márta Csabai spokeon the subject of women’s characteristics ofthe health-related behaviors, Zsuzsa Török on
the negative effects of endometriosis on
quality of life, Peter Szeverényi’s presentation
highlighted the important role of prenatal
stress, and Gyula Mészáros spoke on sexuality
during pregnancy. There were five sections:
Perinatal mood changes, psychiatric diseases;
psychological aspects of delivery and labor;
failures connected with parenting: infertility,
perinatal loss; strategies in the physicianpatient relationship in the 21st Century; andgynecological psychosomatics; 89 people
were registered, including 41 gynecologists, 15
midwives, 14 psychologists, 13 district nurses, 4
psychiatrists and 2 neonatologists.

Birth Week attracted 67 guests, 25% fromsurrounding towns and villages. A variety ofinteractive presentations included a baby
video, breast-feeding, homeopathy, and cot
drapes. Delivery room tours were conducted.
Our professor and male gynecologists gained
his own impressions associated with the„pregnant apron” – it absolutely changed hisview about pregnancy. Four grandmothers
and 14 husbands also took part in the open
day.
World Prematurity Day 17th November. 2016
was the first year when the Department andPerinatal Intensive Care recognised this event.
Professor György Balla’s opening lecture wasfollowed by Judit Kovács who presented
about breast-feeding of preterm babies.
Magdolna
Riszter’s
lectureincluded
informative photos about every-day-practicein PIC. Zsuzsa Török discussed the impact ofpreterm birth on the parents’ psychologicalwell-being, and underlined the importance ofprevention and the essential elements ofprofessional support work. A highlight of the
day was the visit of Botond, a healthy one year
old, who was born in the 24th gestational week,
and his parents, and a 13 year old girl and hermother, who recalled the dedicated work of
the staff when she gave birth prematurely to
her daughter.
Zsuzsa Török

2017 international meetings. Professor Yael
Benyamini from Tel Aviv University, Head of the
Research Committee of ISRAPOG, isconducting
severalprojects
onpsychosomatic aspects in pregnancy, delivery
and post-partum period. The committee ismeeting every 3 months and reports to theSociety Board on progress. Professor Miki
Bloch, the Head of the Psychiatric Department
at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, isconducting a Guidelines Protocol on
psychiatric medications during pregnancy
and lactation. This protocol will be submitted
to the Israeli Ministry of Health for distribution ofa Position Paper on the subject. During myparticipation in February 2017 in a meeting
dedicated to Onco-Fertility, in Moscow, The
Russian Society of Psychosomatics in Ob/Gyn
was established. In May 2017, the annual
meeting of the Reproductive Endocrinology
and Infertility Committee of FIGO took place in
Dublin, organized by Prof Edgar Mucano,Rotunda Hospital and Medical School of
DublinUniversity.
Possiblewaysofcollaboration between ISPOG and FIGO werediscussed. In September, a Pre-Congress
Course of FIGO at the conjoint meeting of theRussian Society of Reproductive Medicine(RAHR) and IFFS will be held. At this meetingthe possible collaborations among the RussianSociety of Psychosomatic Ob/Gyn, RAHR, IFFS,FIGO and ISPOG will be discussed.

IsraelDov Feldberg

Japan
Every year ISRAPOG presents a session in Post
Graduate Courses for residents in Ob/Gyn,and lectures are also conducted in Israeli
meetings of Ob/Gyn in various hospitals andmedical centers. In March 21, 2016, an Annual
Meeting of ISRAPOG took place at Rabin
Medical Center with approximately 250
participants. The theme if the meeting was:"Psychosomatic
Aspectsof
Fertility
Preservation and Male Factor Infertility”. Sibil
Tschudin
from
Basel
and
Siladitya
Bhattacharya from Aberdeen were Invited
Speakers and spent several days with us in
Israel. ISRAPOG was represented at ISPOG,
Málaga May 2016 and IAWMH Dublin in March

We, the Japanese society of Psychosomatic
Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSPOG), haveworked for improving female mental health forabout thirty years. Recent activities are ourannual meeting (Shiga in August 2016), andannual workshop (Tokyo in February 2017). We
publish our journal triannually, and out text
book, “Josei Shinshin Igaku”, was renewed lastyear. We have an original certification system
which qualifies specialists of women’s mental
health.

A current topic of interest in this field is how tomanage perinatal mental health. The
Japanese Association of Obstetrics andGynecology, also Ministry of Health, Labourand Welfare, pay attention to prevent a
suicide during perinatal period. Guidelines
regarding perinatal mental health are going
to be created. JSPOG also join this project.
Additionally, we are planning a joint
symposium
with
other
societiesforpsychosomatic medicine in Japan.
Kiyoshi Takamatsu

Netherlands
The Dutch Society havebeen
activeineducation,
congresses
and science. Every year
Dutch SPOG organises a
two-daycourseon
psychosomatic obstetrics
and gynaecology for
gynaecologists (to be), midwives and otherinterested colleagues. In 2016 the Dutch SPOG
organized three symposia at ISPOG in Malaga,
Spain, 2016: Cancer survivorship, trauma, fearand screening in obstetrics, and vaginal
penetration disorders and the pelvic floor. The
Dutch SPOG financially supports young
investigators studying psychosomatic clinicalquestions. In 2016 the revision of national
protocols on vulvodynia, PTSS after delivery
and a study about use of antidepressive
medication in pregnancy were supported by
Dutch SPOG.
K. Marieke Paarlberg

United Kingdom

The name of the Society has now changed
from British Society of Psychosomatic
Obstetrics and Gynaecology to the British
Society of Biopyschosocial Obstetrics andGynaecology (BSBOG). The constitution wasamended and a new logo produced. Thesechanges reflect more accurately the missionof the Society. We have omitted the word‘andrology’ as it is included in gynaecology.

Our aim is to encourage a better
understanding and improved managementof the psychosocial, emotional and biologicalproblems associated with pregnancy, birthand disease of the reproductive organs inboth women and men through educationand training. The Society is producing a bookon Biopsychoscoial problems in obstetrics andgynaecology edited by our current Chair
Leroy Edozien and previous Chair Professor
Shaughn O’Brien. The book will be available inAugust 2017.
On 14th October 2016, we had anothersuccessful Annual Scientific Meeting in
Sheffield, featuring presentations from variedeminent
consultant
obstetricians
andgynaecologists,
consultant
midwives,
consultant nurses, psychiatrists, specialist
physicians in chronic pelvic pain and specialist
registrars.
As always, the feedback was
exemplary. We ran the joint RCOG / BSBOG
training day on the 31st March 2017 at theRoyal
Collegeof
Obstetricians
andGynaecologists.
The meeting attracted
national and international speakers (K.
Marieke Paarlberg and Sibil Tschudin) who
also ran interactive workshops. The title of the
training day is “Skills and Resources ofDelivering Person Centred Care”. We will berunning national training days for specialist
trainees in different regions in the UK starting inYorkshire and Humberside on the 1st October
2017, aiming to roll out the programme indifferent regions of the UK to meet thedemand for training in this area. The next
Annual Scientific Meeting and participation in
the annual professional development (APD) in
London and Manchester are being planned.
We will also participate in the RCOG World
Congress 2019, ExCeL, London Monday 17Wednesday 19 June 2019. BSBOG has active
collaborations with the British Societies for theStudyofVulvalDiseaseandof
GynaecologicalEndoscopy,
BritishMenopause
SocietyandInstituteofPsychosexual Medicine to run joint meetings in
the future.
Remon Keriakos

USA

NASPOG was given the opportunity in 2016 tohost a symposium at the Annual Clinical
Meeting of the American College ofObstetricians & Gynecologists. Drs. Teri
Pearlstein, Jonathan Schaffir, and Beth Prairie
led the symposium, which addressed the topicof "Hormones and Mood." Topics covered
included premenstrual mood changes,
menopause-induced mood changes, andmood effects of hormonal contraception. The
event was successful enough that we havebeen invited back. NASPOG will be hosting asimilar symposium at the meeting in San Diego,
California, in May, with the title, "What's A
Head in Women's Health? Hot Topics in
Psychosomatic
Obstetrics
andGynecology." Drs. Shari Lusskin (President
NASPOG), Neill Epperson (President ElectNASPOG), and Jonathan Schaffir will beleading the discussion. Next month, ourleadership will change. Dr C. Neill Epperson
will be taking over as president from Dr Shari
Lusskin. Dr Epperson will be organizing the next
NASPOG meeting set to take place in April
2018 at her home institution, the University ofPennsylvania in Philadelphia. We will forward
to ISPOG further details about this meeting as
they emerge.
Jonathan Schaffir

Anxiety and anxiety sensitivity as predictors of fearof childbirth: different patterns for nulliparous andparous women (5 citations)(http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/016
7482X.2013.866647)
Group psychoeducation with relaxation for severe
fear of childbirth improves maternal adjustment
and childbirth experience - a randomised
controlled trial (5 citations)(http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/016
7482X.2014.980722)
The journal has also increased in the rankings inboth of its Web of Science categories:
The Psychiatry category rank is 99/142 (112/142 in2015), and the rank in the Obstetrics andGynecology category is 52/80 (68/80 in 2015).

POG Text Book LaunchedMarieke Paarlberg, Past
ISPOG President, andHarry van de Wiel, Past
Editor-in-Chiefofthe
Journal of Obstetrics andGynaecology, are very
proud to announce thatthe book Bio-PsychoSocial Obstetrics andGynecology:
A
Competency-Oriented
Approachfinallyispublished. The book has been written by 38
participating experts, many of whom are
ISPOG members.

JPOG 2016 Impact Factor has
increased
The 2016 Impact Factors have just been released.
JPOG's IF increased from 1.055 in 2015 to 1.165 in
2016.
These articles were highly cited for the 2016:
Depressive symptoms and proinflammatory
cytokines across the perinatal period in African
American women (9 citations)(http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/016
7482X.2013.868879)
Rates and risk factors associated with depressive
symptoms during pregnancy and with postpartum
onset (8 citations)(http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/016
7482X.2014.947953)

This book explains bio-psycho-social careprovision through a problem-oriented andcase-based approach; it emphasizes the roleofeffective
communication
andmultidisciplinary collaboration and provides
numerous tips of practical value to the busy
clinician.

The book will assist the reader by providing
individually tailored, high-quality bio-psychosocial care to patients with a wide range ofproblems within the fields of obstetrics,
gynecology, fertility, oncology, and sexology.
Each chapter addresses a particular theme,
issue, or situation in a problem-oriented andcase-based manner that emphasizes thedifferences between routine and bio-psychosocial care. Relevant facts and figures arepresented, advice is provided regarding the
medical, psychological, and caring process,and contextual aspects are discussed. The
book offers practical tips and actions withinthebio-psycho-social
approach,andhighlights important do’s and don’ts. To avoid
a strict somatic thinking pattern, theimportanceofcommunication,
multidisciplinary collaboration, and creationof a working alliance with the patient isemphasized. The book follows a consistentformat, designed to meet the needs ofchallenged clinicians.
The book can be bought in soft-cover and as
E-bookvia
theSpringerwebsitehttp://www.springer.com/us/book/9783319404028

Individual chapters can also be purchased as
E-chapters at the same website. ISBN 978-3319-40404-2

Social Media – ISPOG now has
a presence
K. Marieke Paarlberg (Netherlands) and Clare Willocks (UK)The first Facebook account was established byLevente Lázar, who sadly passed away in2015. Since then it has been impossible toobtain the details of this account, which also
had become inactive and unable to be used.
In 2016 a new Facebook account was set up.
The link to this new Facebook account is on
the ISPOG website. There are two active
administrators: Clare Willocks from Scotland
and Marieke Paarlberg from the Netherlands.
The ISPOG Secretary General, Heather Roweand the ISPOG Secretariat Bianca Scarlett also
have access to the account in case this isnecessary.
The aim of the Facebook account is to inform
ISPOG members and other interested readers
about ISPOG activities on the one hand, andon the other hand to let ISPOG be an active
member of the social media world with a moreambassadorial view. Currently, there are 49
followers of this page.
Furthermore we have set up a Twitter account(@ISPOG_org). This platform is more suitable for
immediate Tweets at congresses and forparticipating in Twitter discussions on the web,where it concerns bio-psycho-social issues.
Clare Willocks and Marieke Paarlberg also
manage this account and the Secretary
General and her secretary assistant also haveaccess. Currently, there are 122 followers of
this account.
Pleaes use the @ispog_org when posting
about POG items of interest and use#ispog_org when tweeting so that members
and followers can join in the conversation.

ISPOG partners with the Global
Alliance for Maternal Mental
Health (GAMMH)
The Global Alliance for Maternal Mental
Health (GAMMH) is a coalition of internationalorganisations committed to improving themental health and wellbeing of women andtheir children in pregnancy and the firstpostnatal year. The goal is to prevent the
avoidable suffering experienced by womenand their families, ensuring child development
does not continue to be compromised by aglobal failure to provide appropriate supportand services for mothers’ mental health.
GAMMH is an international initiative arisingfrom the UK Maternal Mental Health Alliance(http://maternalmentalhealthalliance.org/about/) led by Professor Alain Gregoire
Consultant Psychiatrist, Southampton UK. The
MMHA has successfully engaged multiple
partners, raised awareness and promoted
action in community, professional and policy
spheres to improve services for perinatal
mental health. The importance of the alliance
was confirmed by the Royal College ofObstetricians and Gynaecologists report(https://www.rcog.org.uk/globalassets/docu
ments/patients/information/maternalmentalhealthwomens-voices.pdf)
releasedonInternational Women’s Day 2016, which
confirmed the poor state of support for mental
health in the perinatal period in the UK.

The GAMMH is a fledgling international
icoalition. ISPOG was invited to join during theIAWMH meeting in Dublin in March. The
invitation was approved by the society soonafter. More details to follow in the next ISPOG
newsletter.

Education
Jonathan Schaffir USA
Viewers of the ISPOG website may noticesome new additions to the Education section.
In an effort to offer educational tools that may
be of use to ISPOG's members, the site now
includes some modules that cover basic
information about psychosomatic issues
related to women's health. These modules so
far include brief primers on "What is POG?","Communication Techniques", and "Breaking
Bad News".Please visit the site here to take a
look
at
the
work
so
far
(http://www.ispog.org/education/education
al-modules)
We hope that in the coming months we will
add more of these modules that cover basic
aspects of communication and evaluation of
psychosomatic concerns. The tools can beused for introducing professionals to the topics
that are addressed by ISPOG, and forteaching trainees.
In addition, we hope to offer case-based
discussionsofspecific
psychosomatic
problems and treatments that would be of use
to practising providers of women's health.
These cases, with relevant questions andanswers discussing aspects of care, will covera wide range of concerns. An example ofsuch a discussion is also included in thewebsite, entitled "Hormonal Contraception
and Mood."
We invite any interested members to submit
similar modules in the format described. Casebased modules will be evaluated by amember of the Education Editorial Board withexpertise in the topic that is described.
Anyone interested in submitting a module forpeer review and publication on the website
should send an email toJonathan.Schaffir@osumc.edu.
The email should include your idea for a topic,a brief (2-3 sentence) description of themodule and your contact information. Dr

Schaffir will then be in contact with further
instructions about the format and submission
process. We hope that you enjoy visiting our
websiteandlearning
more
about
psychosomatic ob/gyn!

Myriam de Senarclens Prize

From left to right: Michal Yaron, Manuella Epiney,
Johanna Czamanski-Cohen, Sibil Tschudin

We are happy to inform you that the MdS-Prize2017 was presented to the winner at theoccasion of the annual national congress of
the Swiss Society of Obstetrics andGynecology in the presence of the presidentof the MdS-foundation, Michal Yaron, thepresident of the Swiss Working Group of
Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Manuella Epiney and the president of ISPOG.
As you might know, Myriam de Senarclens wasa pioneer in psychosomatic medicine andfounder of the Swiss Society of Psychosomatic
Obstetrics and Gynecology, and of ISPOG.
Before Myriam passed away, she decided to
endow a foundation to grant the Myriam de
Senarclens prize, with the aim of encouraging,supporting or rewarding a study, research
project or an original work, which treats, froma psychosomatic perspective, a subject ingynecology or obstetrics. For more information
please visit the website at www.fdmds.org
Until December 1st 2016 a considerable
number of innovative project proposals fromAfrica, Switzerland and Israel had been
submitted. External experts and members of
the scientific committee of the MdS
foundation reviewed them.

This year’s prize worth 20,000 Swiss francs goesto Johanna Czamanski - Cohen and her teamfrom University of Haifa & Ben Gurion University
from Israel for their work titled
Cognitive behavioral and art-based stress
reduction interventions: The reduction of
Psychological stress and its physiologicalcorrelates in women undergoing in vitro
fertilization (IVF).
We congratulate the winner, wish her goodsuccess with her research project andencourage researchers in the field of
psychosomatic obstetrics and gynecology toavail themselves of the opportunity toapplying for the next MdS prize that will be duein 2021.

for the annual membership fees, a form tocollect information from national societies isnow sent to people listed as national contacts.
Please complete and return the form so that
we can update our records of the numbers ofindividual members, and send invoices toeach national society for the correct numberof members and amount of money due.

NOTICES:
Request for information about
the Niles Newton award.

Wednesday 9th May 2018 15:00 – 17:30:
Pre-congress workshop: How to prevent andminimisecontraceptive
failureThe
psychosomatic perspective and approach(Heather Rowe and Sibil Tschudin)

It recently came to our notice that the Niles
Newton award has not been offered for the
past several years. We have not been able todiscover any information about it in the ISPOG
archives.
Do you know anything about the award? Can
you help? If so please contact
admin@ispog.org

Please update the contact
details of your society
We are aware that some of the contact
details for national societies are out of datebecause national leadership and ISPOG
representatives have changed.
Please keep us informed of new contact
people every year. This is the only we we canstay in touch with you!

ISPOG membership fees
We are pleased to report that the ISPOG
Treasurer Vivian Pramataroff-Hamburger has
implemented a number of improvements tothe financial management of ISPOG. These
includes a new bank account and a new
method of collecting ISPOG membership fees

For your diary: ExCo-Meeting
2018
The ExCo meeting 2018 will be held at theoccasion of the 15th ESC congress in
Budapest.Our meeting and our contributions
in Budapest are scheduled as follows:

Thursday 10th May 2018 12:15-13:45:
Joint ESC ISPOG Session: Good peri-abortion
care from a bio-psycho-social perspective(Vivian Pramataroff and Sibil Tschudin)- Peri-abortion care: When is it too much andwhen too little? (Sibil Tschudin)- What are women's emotional needs? Evidence and practice (Heather Rowe)- Peri-abortion counselling and care in case ofcongenital anomalies and chromosomal
abnormalities (Marieke Paarlberg)
14:30-18:30: ExCo Meeting
19:30 ExCo DinnerFor further information:
http://www.escrh.eu/15th-esc-congress