In Spring 2020 amidst the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, UCLA Health implemented a no-test telemedicine abortion (NTTA) model of care, wherein women could access a medication abortion without an ultrasound or in-person clinic visit. Utilizing the strengths of our multi-disciplinary team, the proposed mixed-methods project seeks to examine potential differences between NTTA and clinic-based ...Read more >

Little is known about patients’ experiences of grief after abortion for fetal indications or pregnancy complications in the second trimester. The typical grief response is a process of expected distress during the acute grief period with a transition to integrated grief marked by the development of healthy coping skills and acceptance of the loss. While ...Read more >

We plan to perform a multi-phase project, using implementation science methodologies, to explore pharmacist provision of medication abortion. We will perform an online survey, followed by semi-structured interviews with pharmacists currently prescribing contraception to identify barriers and facilitators to pharmacist provision of medication abortion. The survey and interviews will explore feasibility, acceptability and appropriateness of ...Read more >

Lifetime intimate partner violence (IPV) among individuals seeking abortion is estimated to be between 26% and 39%. The economic and psychosocial stressors associated with COVID-19 mandatory lockdowns have resulted in increased IPV. The prevalence of medication abortion has increased over the past decade, while surgical abortion has decreased. Yet individuals who are not safe at ...Read more >

This is a qualitative study aiming to understand Latinx individuals’ attitudes, experiences and decision making with abortion. We propose an exploratory study of Latinx women from 3 US metropolitan areas with the largest Latinx population: Los Angeles, New York City and Miami. We will recruit participants using social media and confirm history of abortion prior ...Read more >

Early pregnancy loss (EPL) is defined as a nonviable, intrauterine pregnancy prior to 13 weeks of gestation. In the United States, there are about 1 million EPLs per year. In the ED setting, treating EPL can be challenging. ED physicians normally recommend Obstetrics and Gynecology (Ob/Gyn) outpatient or inpatient consult often leading to a delay ...Read more >

Public health disasters lead institutional medical priorities away from family planning services. Reproductive health suffers when healthcare systems are not prepared for public health or natural disasters. The objective of this study is to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of sexual and reproductive health providers of in the US during the time of the ...Read more >

In 1980, China implemented a one-child policy to curb population growth they believed would stifle the standard of living in the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. This was implemented through mandatory intrauterine devices for women with one child, abortion for “unauthorized ” pregnancies, and permanent contraception for couples with two or more children. A lack ...Read more >

Hemorrhage is the most common complication of dilation and evacuation (D&E). Prophylactic tranexamic acid has shown been shown to reduce maternal mortality from postpartum hemorrhage with no adverse effects, but has not been studied to reduce bleeding complications with D&E. We propose a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled pilot study to determine whether routine use of intravenous ...Read more >

Racial inequities in maternal health, although present over centuries, have worsened in the last several decades. Despite growing interest in racial disparities in maternal health, little research has examined disparities in abortion practice specifically. One of the challenges of tracking abortion complications is the overall low complication rate. Cited complication rates of surgical abortions range ...Read more >