Post by Viktoria Vivilaki

Honored to participate in the #ESCRH2026 Congress in #Belgrade, Serbia, and to contribute as a speaker at the symposium “Modern Contraception and Patient Partnership: A New Era of Care”. As President of the European Midwives Association (EMA), I had the opportunity to present on “Midwives’ Perspective on #Postpartum #Contraception in #Europe”, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen postpartum contraceptive care and formally recognize midwives as key and essential providers in this field. During my presentation, I emphasized that postpartum contraception remains a major yet under-addressed public health priority, with 40–60% of women globally still facing unmet contraceptive needs after childbirth. I also discussed the critical role of midwives in antenatal and postnatal counseling, continuity of care, informed choice, and equitable access to contraception across Europe. Importantly, the presentation addressed: • the variation in midwives’ #prescribing rights across Europe, • the need for harmonized policies and #LARC training, • the integration of #pharmacovigilance and #FemTech into reproductive health care, and • the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration between midwives, obstetricians, and gynecologists. I was privileged to share this symposium with distinguished colleagues: 🔹 Prof. Rossella Nappi — Patient-centered contraceptive counseling 🔹 Prof. Giovanni Grandi — Obesity, weight loss and contraception 🔹 Dr. Teresa Bombas — Postpartum Contraception in Europe Today and Tomorrow 🔹 Prof. Manuela Farris — Moderator and closing remarks The symposium created an excellent platform for multidisciplinary dialogue on advancing women’s reproductive health, patient partnership, and evidence-based contraceptive care across Europe. A heartfelt thank you to Organon and all participants for the inspiring discussions, collaboration, and shared commitment to improving care for women and families. “No woman should leave maternity care without informed contraceptive choice.” #ESCRH2026 #Belgrade #EMA #EuropeanMidwivesAssociation #Midwives #PostpartumCare #Contraception #WomensHealth #ReproductiveHealth #PatientPartnership #FemTech #Organon European Journal of Midwifery European Institute for Gender Equality European Institute of Women's Health, CLG Elena Petelos