Drospirenone for emergency contraception: A dose-finding pilot
Contraception
Awarded 2022
Complex Family Planning Fellowship Research
Paige Kendall, MD
University of Colorado, Denver
$7,500

Dr. Paige Kendall is a first-year Complex Family Planning fellow at the University of Colorado. She attended medical school at the University of California, Davis and then completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University. Her educational experiences have afforded her a diversity of research experiences, culminating in a focus in family planning. Dr. Kendall is interested in how patients access care, especially marginalized populations. Her ambitions are to pursue research that supports equitable reproductive autonomy, with a particular focus in expanding quality contraceptive access and options. This study aims to evaluate if a single dose of drospirenone can effectively inhibit ovulation when administered prior to the luteinizing hormone surge, for potential future use as oral emergency contraception. The study includes an adaptive dose-finding design to determine an effective and safe single dose for ovulation inhibition. Once the effective dose is identified, this funding will directly support the inclusion of participants with a body mass index of >30kg/m2 in this pilot study, as this is the population with the greatest need for effective oral emergency contraception. This study will lay the foundation for her desired research career in exploring novel options that increase access and efficacy for patients desiring oral emergency contraception.