‘Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology in the Globalised World’

Report from the 21st ISPOG Congress, 3–5 April 2025, Seoul, Korea

Traditionally, the ISPOG congresses bring together people from different nations across continents every three years under the theme of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology, this time with the motto: ‘Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynaecology (POG) in the Globalised World’. This congress will remain a lasting memory for all participants thanks to the special location, exceptional hospitality, and challenging presentations and interesting discussions.

Day 1 focused on ‘Psychosomatic health in Asia’ with speakers from China, Korea, Japan, Oman and Thailand covering a wide range of topics from the challenges of female life phases and traditional Thai medicine, burnout prevention and resilience promotion to training programmes in the context of teaching POG in Asia. This was preceded by introductory lectures by Congress President Keun Ho Lee on the history and traditions of Korea – When KSPOG meets the world – and ISPOG President Mechthild Neises-Rudolf on a topic related to women’s health, specifically focusing on female doctors. This day of the congress ended with the Presidential Dinner on the artificial island in the Han River called ‘Some Sevit – Villa de Notche’ with an atmospheric sunset over Seoul during a delicious meal and stimulating conversations – this generous atmosphere remains incomparable.

Days 2 and 3 were held under the motto ‘Bringing together experts in the field of psychosomatic obstetrics and gynaecology’. These days were packed with plenary sessions, symposia, workshops and oral presentations. As it is not possible to cover all topics here, please refer to the Congress book, which is still available online https://trs.maillink.co.kr/procresponse? a=4I-17953008I-448I-4oaSoZI-4ehhgzE-8D-7D-7gUv3D-6bBSaaSHZD-6oCD-6ZuD-7JCDHmSaPF-3obgHoCJPF-17953008C-8zPqF-12I-3

The symposia focused on the following topics: Migrant women’s health, Impact of Climate Change on Women’s Health, Mind-Body Connection in Pregnancy, Psychosomatics of Puerperium, Psychosomatics in Gynaecological Oncology and Reproductive and Mental Health, and last but not least: Environmental and Cultural Factors in Psychosomatic Obstetrics. The Israeli and Japanese Societies for Psychosomatic OB/GYN organised their symposia on the following topics: Psychosomatic impact of traumatic stress: PTSD symptoms in obstetrics and gynaecology (ISRAPOG) and Psychosomatic Problems in Japanese Women (JSPOG).

We would like to thank Julie Quinlivan (Australia) and Sibil Tschudin (Switzerland) for organising the research session in collaboration with Olivia Cliff, Taylor & Francis via ZOOM as an offer for our younger colleagues who are active in research.

The plenary session was highlighted by a renowned Korean scientist in the field of addictive behaviour against the backdrop of findings from neuroscience and artificial intelligence.

The workshops focused on the topics: Challenging Consultations, Moral Deliberation, Film and Psychoanalysis – Film ‘Parasites’. 

Of particular note are the oral presentations with more than 20 lectures following the review of the submitted abstracts and the awarding of three prizes for outstanding presentations. The prizes went to Ruben Plöger (Germany), Shin Ikebukuro (Japan), Marijana Vidmar Simic (Slovenia) and Jung Yoon Park (Korea).

We would like to thank everyone who contributed to and took responsibility for this congress, first and foremost the organisers of KSPOG and the congress team, as well as everyone who enriched this congress with their lectures, workshop leadership and chairing.

The venue for days 2 and 3 was the Omnibus Park of the Catholic University of Korea, connected to St. Maries Hospital in Seoul, an attractive new building with all the technical equipment required for the plenary and workshop rooms.

The programme also lists all the companies that sponsored this congress, some of which also held symposia on their respective research areas; without this support, the congress would not have been possible in its current form.

We were all impressed by this metropolis of almost 10 million people built on 14 hills (Rome is said to be built on seven hills), combining breathtaking modernity with traditional neighbourhoods. The Han River, which runs through the city in a W shape and is spanned by 50 bridges within the city, is impressive. Three floating islands have been created on this river, and it was on one of these artificial islands, Some Sevit, that our congress began and ended in the Omnibus Park in a friendly atmosphere with new and old friendships forged among 108 participants from 15 nations.

As in the past, this congress was accompanied by the ISPOG Executive Committee meetings in a pre- and post-congress session, thus framing the General Assembly. The following were elected to fill the positions of the outgoing officers: Secretary General, Professor Danny Horesch, Israel; Treasurer, Dr. Ruben Plöger, Germany; and Incoming President, Vesna Gall Mr.sc.dr., Croatia. We got a sneak preview to the 22^th ISPOG Congress in Split, Croatia. We would like to thank Vesna Gall for her presentation on the venue and the proposed congress content – we pledge our full support to her.