This project had the long-term goal of addressing the unintended pregnancy rate among Native Hawaiians, which is by the best evidence we have, the highest among the major racial groups in Hawaii. Hawaii has the 2nd highest unintended pregnancy rate in the nation. Addressing this health disparity would make strides toward empowering Hawaiians to achieve ...Read more >

Women who present for an elective abortion represent a population that is at risk for unintended pregnancy, and their contact with the health care system may seem an ideal time to discuss and provide contraception. Despite the fact that 90-95% of women receive a form of contraception at the time of an abortion, approximately half ...Read more >

Currently, there is a general unease of providers to recommend the intrauterine device (IUD) as a plausible birth control method for their solid organ transplant patients.  It is not uncommon to receive a consult from the transplant team to either remove a patient’s IUD or to prevent its placement for fear that there will be ...Read more >

Women presenting for abortion are at high risk of subsequent unintended pregnancies. Little is known about contraceptive use in the post-abortion setting, but some data suggest that contraceptive discontinuation and repeat pregnancy is high. Women choosing highly effective reversible (HER) contraception at the time of abortion are more likely to experience subsequent unintended pregnancies and ...Read more >

Background: Combined hormonal contraceptive pills (COCs) are the most frequently used method of contraception by women in the United States.  However, COCs are frequently discontinued secondary to hormonal side effects.  In recent studies, phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitors (PDE3s) have been shown to inhibit oocyte maturation and impair fertility in macaques, mice, and pigs.  Cilostazol, a class ...Read more >

One in six women in the United States experiences rape or attempted rape in her lifetime. Clinicians play an important role in the immediate care of sexual assault survivors, including treatment of injury, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infection, prevention of pregnancy through provision of emergency contraception, collection of forensic evidence for prosecution of ...Read more >

Weight loss can markedly improve fertility, and women undergoing weight loss are at risk for unintended pregnancy.  Women are counseled to avoid pregnancy within 12-18 months of bariatric surgery and/or while taking teratogenic weight loss medications.   We hypothesized that an on-site contraceptive counseling intervention tailored to the specific needs of these women may help ...Read more >

Despite significant advancements in the management of preterm labor (PTL), preterm birth (PTB) remains one of the most poorly understood and costly outcomes in obstetrics. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 12% of deliveries each year occur preterm (prior to 37 weeks) and PTB is the most frequent cause of infant ...Read more >

Little is known about contraception use among postpartum women in the West Bank. Survey data shows that 27% of birth intervals are under 18 months and 40% of pregnancies are mistimed or unwanted (Family Health Survey, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics 2007). While 40% of women report using modern contraceptive methods, they are predominantly older ...Read more >

Unintended pregnancy remains a huge problem for the United States where ~50% of pregnancies are unplanned.  The best ways to decrease the rate of unplanned pregnancy are to educate women on the most effective methods of contraception while also facilitating the use of the most effective methods.  Intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs) include the Mirena IUD ...Read more >