Special 20th anniversary issue.

Assesses changes in human reproductive health over the past two decades, concentrating on the specific ways in which scientific research has responded to the expanding needs for fertility regulation in developing countries. The book, which features 16 review articles, was issued to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the WHO Special Programme for Research, Development, and Research Training in Human Reproduction. Apart from its leading role in research on human reproduction, the Programme has helped numerous developing countries to acquire the material and human resources needed to conduct their own research on priority problems. The book has four parts. The first, which assesses the global status of reproductive health, reviews the remarkable scientific achievements that have led to a wider choice of safe and effective contraceptive methods for women and men throughout the world. Highlights include an unprecedented steep decline in fertility in developing countries, a dramatic increase in the number of contraceptive users, and intense research into the safety of contraceptive methods. Using facts and figures, the first part also shows how research conducted, coordinated, or supported by the Programme has led to the development of new contraceptive technologies and the improved safety and effectiveness of existing methods. The second part traces the evolution of the Programme from its inception in 1971, through changes in policy and management, to its present research objectives and the challenges that lie ahead. In view of the importance given to the strengthening of research capacity in developing countries, the book also features reviews documenting the Programmes impact on research initiatives in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Part three highlights progress made by the Programme during the past biennium. Six reports describe the specific projects that served to intensify the Programmes efforts to develop new technologies, including birth control vaccines directed against selected reproduction-specific molecules, to improve the safety and effectiveness of existing methods, to prevent infertility, and to expand family planning options through the systematic introduction and appropriate management of contraceptive methods. The biennium also saw a considerable expansion of social science research to include research on sexual behaviour, the social dimensions of maternal health, and breast-feeding and birth spacing. The final part acknowledges the contributions made by donors, collaborating centres, individual scientists throughout the world, and the Programmes staff.

Previous reports 1972-1985 in PC. (HRP)

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WHODOC

WHO monograph

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