Introduction: Intrauterine device (IUD) insertion is a painful procedure, particularly for nulliparous women. Interventions to reduce IUD insertion pain have not been identified. Nitrous oxide administered with oxygen (NO) is a safe analgesic with minimal side effects. We compared IUD insertion pain reported by nulliparous women randomized to NO versus oxygen. Objective: 1. To compare ...Read more >

Objective: To determine if differences exist in the pharmacokinetics of levonorgestrel-only emergency contraception (LNG-EC) in normal, obese and extremely obese users. Methods: Healthy, reproductive-age, ovulatory women with normal (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), obese (BMI = 30-39.9 kg/m2) and extremely obese (BMI >= 40 kg/m2) BMIs were orally administered 1.5 mg LNG-EC. Dosing occurred on day 8 ...Read more >

Background: After one of the longest drug review processes in Canadian history, in July 2015 Health Canada approved mifepristone/misoprostol, the gold-standard of medication abortion, for early pregnancy termination. However, Health Canada’s decision included a number of non-evidence based restrictions with respect to both gestational age eligibility and service delivery. Mifegymiso was finally introduced in early ...Read more >

Stigma threatens the health of people who need abortion care and their communities directly through transient psychological distress, and indirectly by preventing healthful behaviors such as social support-seeking and utilization of medically safe services. Stigma also underpins public policies that erect structural barriers to abortion care. Over the last several decades, public health researchers and ...Read more >

Though important progress has been made toward advancing women-centered, rights-based family planning since the 1994 ICPD in Cairo, the indicators that we use to evaluate family planning remain stubbornly focused on the pre-Cairo agenda of contraceptive coverage and fertility. The lack of a macro-level indicator that captures what women actually want may create perverse incentives ...Read more >

The 52 mg levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) is a highly effective method of contraception, but its use is often associated with early “nuisance bleeding” which may lead to discontinuation. Many medications have been studied with progestin-only contraceptives such as the LNG-IUS to manage irregular bleeding. The only study to demonstrate a sustained reduction in bleeding ...Read more >

The goals of this study are to assess client preferences and provider perceptions of reproductive intention screening and contraceptive decision-making during primary care visits in New York State (NYS). These goals were developed collaboratively during Phase I using the Delphi Method with over 30 stakeholders, including primary care and reproductive health providers, NYS and City ...Read more >

Texas House Bill 2 (HB2), enacted in 2013, placed targeted restrictions on abortion providers which resulted in closure of more than half of the state’s abortion clinics. Using patient-level data from approximately 60,000 patients seeking care at eight abortion clinics in the state before and after passage of HB2, we will evaluate differences in travel ...Read more >

The obesity epidemic has been accompanied by an exponential increase in weight-reduction surgery. Nearly half of bariatric surgery patients are reproductive age women. While weight reduction surgery is associated with increased fertility, pregnancy in the post-operative period can result in maternal and fetal complications. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society ...Read more >

Background: More than two decades of research has shown associations among partner violence, reproductive control, and detrimental sexual and reproductive health outcomes including lower use of condoms and other contraceptives, higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, HIV, urinary tract infections, unintended and teen pregnancies, and poor birth outcomes as well as miscarriage due to physical ...Read more >