About ISPOG

Welcome message

Dear esteemed members, colleagues, and friends,

We have emerged from a tumultuous period – the COVID-19 pandemic – an event that tested the resilience of individuals, healthcare systems, and societies alike. Yet, in the face of unprecedented adversity, we have witnessed extraordinary acts of courage, compassion, and ingenuity. However, even as we move forward from the pandemic, it is clear that many women across the world are still suffering from the effects of longstanding inequities, both in healthcare and society.

Women are disproportionately impacted by issues ranging from inadequate access to reproductive healthcare, to the devastating consequences of violence and conflict. In many regions, political unrest, displacement, and the ongoing threats of war continue to exacerbate these inequities, further marginalizing women and impeding their right to live healthy, fulfilling lives.

As a community, we are uniquely positioned to make a meaningful difference. Out work at ISPOG bridges the critical connection between psychosomatic health and obstetrics and gynecology. This intersection is where we see the profound impact of the mind-body connection on women’s health. We understand that addressing the emotional, psychological, and social dimensions of health is integral to the physical wellbeing of women everywhere.

Now, more than ever, we must unite our efforts. It is time to gather our collective will and capabilities to confront these challenges head-on. We cannot afford to stand idle as women continue to suffer. The work we do together, through research, education, advocacy, and clinical care, is a beacon of hope for countless women who face barriers that many of us cannot even begin to comprehend.

I invite all of you to join me in this collective endeavor. It is through our collaboration, expertise, and shared vision that we can overcome the barriers before us. By uniting our strengths and knowledge, we will not only honor our past, but also pave the way for a brighter, more equitable future for women everywhere.

Together, we will continue to advance the health, dignity, and rights of women in all their diversity. Let us forge ahead with a sense of purpose, grounded in our rich history, and driven by the determination to make the world a better place for all women.

Thank you for your continued commitment to the health and wellbeing of women. I look forward to working with all of you as we embark on this new chapter for ISPOG and for global women’s health.

With warm regards and solidarity,

Chulmin Lee

President

History of ISPOG

Sixty years ago, when a small group of like-minded, far-sighted specialists midwifed the birth of a new professional association focused on ‘Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology’, the biomedical model of care reigned supreme. Positivism, with its quantitative methods, bestrode the medical education and medical research terrains like a colossus. Over the ensuing six decades, there has been a gradual but sustained rise of the biopsychosocial model of care.

Alongside this development, there has been growing recognition of the value of the interpretivist approach in health research, with qualitative methods gaining stronger footing. Our Society has been in the vanguard of these advances which have served humankind tremendously. Looking back, we salute the courage and vision of our founders who, rather than hit the trodden road, opted for the road less travelled. We acknowledge the sacrifices and contributions of colleagues who kept the vision alive through six decades, despite the absence of pharma backing. 

The 20th century produced a male chauvinist paternalistic doctor centered model, asymmetric relationship with the patient at the same time medical societies enjoyed a strong economic and political influence. In our 21st century, after Evidence Based shift of our scientific activity, civil societies have produced a decline in the authority of doctors, among other “paternal” characters, as the political or religious authorities, adapting rapidly to a market-like model of provider/user or client management centered model.

Market-biased use of epidemiological evidence has encouraged the appearance of a “health bureaucracy” highly influenced by pharmaceutical lobbies and technocrats. Patients themselves feel they have obtained more power, and view upon themselves more as ‘clients’ than as ‘patients’, or another sort of patient then the old one, which demands another role for the doctor as well. Of course there will always be a difference between professional judgment and ‘pleasing the client’ which might give tension between the patients, the doctors and the new powerful leading actors: the Managers.