Editorial

Abstract

Ten years old today (at times it feels like 100 – particularly when proofreading) and another bumper issue of post-Christmas, recession-busting goodies to celebrate. And do I hear that, now-annual, New Year's resolution bouncing around again – to do TOG's CPD this year? I can still remember, with great disappointment, that I felt remarkably and surprisingly similar on my tenth birthday to how I had felt the day before. But a tenth birthday is a good time to take a step back and assess where we've got to and where we're going (to be honest, I don't remember doing that on my tenth birthday – but TOG hasn't the distraction of a new bicycle). Shaughn O'Brien, TOG's founding Editor-in-Chief, waxes lyrical (and appropriately so), viewing TOG's early years through rose-tinted spectacles: I can imagine the scene, down to the quill pens and smoking oil lamps. Now we are a little more ‘savvy’ – from an internet chat room for the Editorial Board members, through the full gamut of electronic article management. Sue Molony, our Managing Editor (or Editor Manager?) and her deputy, Nina Buchan, have what sometimes, frankly, seems close to a Wizard of Oz-like grip on this – but manage, with great good grace, to keep our authors, reviewers and Board members happy. Their and their predecessors’ contribution to this journal is inestimable and it has been a complete pleasure to work with them all. We've now gone international, too, with representatives from around the world on our board (Jane Moody, the unflappably wonderful Head of Publications, was very happy with this once email contact was established and we didn't have to pay international postage). Our international members have contributed greatly and it is appropriate that we publish their postcard greetings in this edition at this milestone in our history. In the UK, our specialist societies (no funny handshakes, uniforms or languages – beyond the usual plethora of acronyms to persuade us they really do know what they're talking about) also contribute greatly to professional life and to the well-being of our patients. We are delighted that so many have sent us anniversary wishes, which we also publish in these pages. So, what else is there? It is almost impossible to pick up any newspaper without being reminded of the wayward nature of our waistlines: Frances Stewart and her colleagues fill us with dread and, were I a woman, it would turn me off that fourth mince pie for ever. Robert Freeman and Ashwani Monga review the NICE guidelines on urinary incontinence – for that dying breed, the male gynaecologist, should we, perhaps, commission something on the prostate for a change? Rita Bhalla and colleagues cover yet another rare complication of labour – the inverted uterus: do you really, actually know what to do? Now you will. For those of us who live on the Celtic fringe and stand a 1 in 20 chance of being a carrier, full-blown cystic fibrosis is seen all too frequently. With medical advances, more women with cystic fibrosis are presenting in antenatal clinics. Julie Goddard and Stephen Bourke tell us what to do in this sometimes tragic scenario. Adenomyosis is, I suppose, what dry rot is to old houses: the only effective treatment is to cut it out. As we marvel at the wonders of modern medicine, isn't it incredible that we still have no idea what causes it and no effective way of treating it whilst retaining uterine function? Mehasseb and colleagues give us an update. Surrogacy is a minefield – socially, ethically, legally and medically. Most of us have an opinion on it, despite few of us having any real knowledge of what is involved. Kalsang Bhatia and her fellow authors, including the very experienced Tony Nysenbaum, write lucidly and objectively for us. Fire-drills are fun? So say Dimitrios Siassakos and colleagues on behalf of the SaFE Study Group. They are certainly necessary – can we imagine the Army, or indeed the fire brigade, waiting for a war or a raging inferno and then trying to work out what to do? Sonia Barnfield then takes us off to deepest Kenya and reminds us just how difficult obstetric practice can be away from the nightmares of targets and waiting list initiatives. And finally (to borrow a phrase from that master of wit and the sideways look at everyday life), this is my last editorial as Editor-in-Chief. Let us hope, therefore, that the quality of this page is set to improve. I have loved my time with TOG and its staff – but life moves on and I wish this very excellent journal congratulations on its tenth anniversary and every success for the next 10 years and beyond. It has been an honour to be associated with it.