Objectives: This study explores how legislators use scientific evidence in making policy on two key reproductive health issues: abortion, and alcohol use in pregnancy. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with state legislators and their aides in three US states that have a mix of policies on abortion and alcohol use in pregnancy. Our questions explored ...Read more >

Our interdisciplinary partnership needs this Society of Family Planning (SFP) Phase I grant to lay groundwork for developing a proof-of-concept contraceptive registry with patients and advocacy organizations as stewards. We propose using a step-wise approach by focusing first on a single medical condition, cystic fibrosis (CF), aiming to create a platform for additional complex medical ...Read more >

Young adults (age 18-29 years) have the highest rates of unintended pregnancy in the US. 40% of these unintended pregnancies ended in abortion. Prior studies have shown the need for new educational strategies to educate this population about contraceptive methods to prevent unintended pregnancies. Emerging research suggest comics can serve educational purposes. Comics can help ...Read more >

This SFP award enabled me to effectively expand the patient-oriented research program at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts (PPLM) and mentor my graduated fellows as they transition in their academic careers to completely independent researchers. I am very proud of the productive, patient-oriented research program that I have built at PPLM. This research program has ...Read more >

Objective: To evaluate the impact of timing of postpartum depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) initiation on breastfeeding and effective contraceptive use over 28 weeks. Methods: We enrolled antepartum (n=86) and postpartum (n=98) women planning DMPA use for postpartum contraception. Women became ineligible if they did not initiate breastfeeding, decided against DMPA, or refused randomization. Participants were ...Read more >

Objective: To determine the timing of insertion of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS), post-placental versus interval, that results in the highest rate of LNG-IUS in place by exam at 6-months. Materials and Methods: A randomized control trial of women >36 weeks gestation who underwent vaginal delivery of a singleton and desired LNG-IUS for contraception. Women ...Read more >

US adolescents have high rates of pregnancy, childbearing, and sexually transmitted infections (STI) highlighting the need to identify and implement effective programs that will help improve their reproductive health. Improving adolescents’ reproductive outcomes is a high priority for the City of Philadelphia, where half of the priority areas in the Health Department’s 2014-2018 Strategic Plan ...Read more >

Objectives: To develop a community-wide contraceptive expansion initiative and assess the change in contraceptive method uptake when cost and access barriers are removed in established family planning clinics. Methods: HER Salt Lake is a prospective cohort study examining three 6-month periods, nested in a quasi

Objectives: The unintended pregnancy rate among active-duty women is 72/1,000 women compared to 52/1,000 women in the general population. Despite this, there is little information about servicewomen’s contraceptive and abortion decision making, use, and access. We sought to understand servicewomen’s experiences accessing contraceptives and abortion care and perspectives on military abortion policy. Methods: Servicewomen who ...Read more >

This project examined social stigma in shaping Ghanaian adolescent sexual and reproductive health experiences and specifically as a barrier to modern contraception use. The project applied a mixed-methods (qualitative and quantitative) approach across two research study phases carried out in Kumasi and Accra, Ghana. The first study phase consisted of qualitative work to provide a ...Read more >