UKZN Launches New Women’s Health Webinar Series

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Three pertinent topics were presented by international experts at the launch of a women’s health webinar series held by the Discipline of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) in October under the leadership of Professor Motshedisi Sebitloane who heads the Department.

Mayo Clinic’s Internal Medicine Specialist, Professor Letitia Acquah, discussed the assessment of risks for heart diseases in pregnant women, particularly in low-resource settings, and the importance of considering various factors such as social determinants of health and traditional cardiovascular risk factors.

Acquah said low resource settings had limited screening tools for cardiovascular diseases, presenting a case scenario of a 20-year-old pregnant woman experiencing shortness of breath and chest discomfort, which probed the medical team treating her to identify related socioeconomic risk factors that could predispose her to heart disease. The factors discussed included insecure housing, inadequate education, lack of access to healthcare, high exposure to crime, and inadequate financial resources.

Mary Heersink Endowed Chair of Global Health, Director of the Mary Heersink Institute of Global Health, and Heersink School of Medicine Associate Dean for Global and Women’s Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Professor Alan Tita, discussed the challenges and complexities of managing preeclampsia, a condition characterised by high blood pressure and multi-organ dysfunction in pregnancy.

Tita highlighted the need for standardisation in blood pressure measurement and the importance of early diagnosis, particularly in cases of superimposed preeclampsia. He also emphasised the role of risk factors, such as nulliparity, in predicting preeclampsia and the need for targeted interventions. He concluded by outlining key principles in managing preeclampsia, including treating severe hypertension, monitoring both mother and foetus, and optimising the timing of delivery.

Recently appointed as an Honorary Lecturer at UKZN, Emeritus Professor of O&G and Director of the University of Leicester’s EndocannabinoidsResearch Laboratory in the United Kingdom, Professor Justin Konje discussed the prevalence, pathogenesis, and clinical features of endometriosis, a common cause of chronic pelvic pain in women of reproductive age.

Konje highlighted the various theories behind the condition, including retrograde menstruation, and the risk factors such as atypical menstrual patterns, low birth weight, and genetic predisposition. He also touched on the symptoms of endometriosis, including severe dysmenorrhea, deep dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain, and fatigue, which can be linked to central sensitisation.

Konje emphasised the importance of considering endometriosis as a differential diagnosis for patients presenting with these symptoms. He noted that there are no blood tests or biomarkers for diagnosing endometriosis, and the diagnosis is primarily made through laparoscopy.

Sebitloane thanked the presenters, saying that the webinar series was an important platform for women’s health experts to present unique cases that they come across and share best practices.

The next webinar will be advertised across UKZN’s online communications channels.

Words: Lunga Memela

Photographs: Supplied