The World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN’s Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (HRP) are proud to join the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) at their 25th World Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, from 5 to 9 October 2025.
In partnership with FIGO, WHO and HRP led a dedicated stream of sessions throughout the Congress. These will address some of the most pressing challenges and opportunities in sexual and reproductive health today, including strengthening maternal and newborn care, advancing evidence-based contraception and abortion services, supporting the uptake of WHO guidelines and promoting access to life-saving health products.
The last FIGO saw the launch of the Roadmap to combat postpartum haemorrhage between 2023 and 2030. This FIGO will see major milestones met in the launch of the new WHO Consolidated Guidelines on the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of Postpartum Haemorrhage (PPH).
These guidelines bring together 51 recommendations covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment and supportive care, and introduce a new definition of postpartum haemorrhage based on the largest global analysis of maternal health data to date.
This joint release by WHO, ICM and FIGO on 5 October 2025 at the President’s Session marks a major step forward in strengthening global responses to the leading cause of maternal mortality, ensuring earlier diagnosis and faster action to save women’s lives.
A deep dive technical session on the latest developments in postpartum haemorrhage will also take place. You can find all the documents and resources here, as follows:
-New WHO-FIGO-ICM Consolidated Guidelines on Postpartum Haemorrhage: https://bit.ly/478sRe9
Post-partum haemorrhage (PPH) causes around 45,000 maternal deaths each year, mostly preventable with timely care.
-New WHO definition of PPH
-51 consolidated recommendations for prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care.
-Key interventions include oxytocin, heat-stable carbetocin, tranexamic acid, and treatment bundles.
-Implementation strategies: training, supplies, monitoring, and community engagement.
-Comment on new guidelines: http://bit.ly/4gRuHnf.
-Prognostic accuracy of clinical markers of postpartum bleeding in predicting maternal mortality or severe morbidity: http://bit.ly/4pXQIow.
-Explore the full resource: https://bit.ly/478sRe9.
-Simultaneous editorial to mark World Postpartum Haemorrhage Day: IJGO, BJOG and Pregnancy
-Press Release: http://bit.ly/3Wnrx0R
-World Postpartum Haemorrhage Day assets: https://trello.com/b/0LkXqIU4
-Social assets for PPH Guideline launch: https://bit.ly/4nEWYQx
Key accounts: @HRPResearch, @WHO, @FIGO_org, @world_midwives
Key hashtags: #EndPPH #HealthForAll #HopefulFutures
Sunday 5 October 2025 was the first ever World Postpartum Haemorrhage Awareness Day.
Weblink: PPH guideline and day launch