Study Overview: This project explored immediate postpartum long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) program implementation in the hospital setting. Hospital teams reported that implementing immediate postpartum LARC programs involves multiple hospital departments and a number of important steps to consider. Background: There are many advantages to LARC provision in the immediate postpartum setting. Increased interest nationwide in ...Read more >

Purpose: Adolescent girls who use emergency departments for non-emergent complaints have risk factors for unintended pregnancy and are difficult to reach in outpatient settings. This pilot study examined the feasibility of comprehensive contraceptive counseling in a novel outreach setting, a pediatric emergency department (PED).  Methods: This prospective cohort pilot study enrolled girls ages 13-18 presenting ...Read more >

Background:  The copper intrauterine device (Cu T380A IUD) is highly effective, hormone free, and the most effective form of emergency contraception (EC).  Women seeking EC often report multiple episodes of unprotected intercourse (UPI). Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Selected Practice Recommendations limit placement of the Cu T380A IUD to the first five days ...Read more >

Abortion remains one of the most common surgical procedures in the world. In the United States, at least half of all women will experience an unintended pregnancy by age 45, and one third of all women will have had an abortion by this same age. Despite universal efforts to increase the comfort of these procedures, ...Read more >

Background: For many adolescents the Emergency department (ED) may be their first or only contact with the health care system for sexual and reproductive health yet many ED providers rarely discuss EC outside cases of sexual assault. Clinical guidelines, or recommendations for effective and uniform clinical practice, have been shown to improve clinical care. There ...Read more >

Background: The history of reproductive injustice in the United States against women and girls of color is well-documented. As a result, women of color mistrust and are suspicious of medical professionals in reproductive health care. The conditions of mistrust and suspicion are further worsened by the disparity that affects women of color in family planning. ...Read more >

In the United States, there is an ever-increasing burden of state-level legislation that interferes with the patient-physician relationship. A focus on forwarding a political agenda while ignoring established and evidence-based guidelines for care are hallmarks of this type of legislation. Major US medical organizations have raised serious concerns about laws that prohibit physicians from discussing with ...Read more >

Background: Medication abortion accounts for more than a third of abortions in the US prior to nine weeks gestation. It is very effective, with ongoing pregnancies occurring in less than 1% of cases. Patients must return to the clinic to confirm that the procedure was complete because symptoms alone are not very accurate in identifying ...Read more >

Medical students can carry strong preexisting personal beliefs about pregnancy options through their training. Medical school curricula often do not allow students the opportunity to understand these complex beliefs.  Narrative Medicine (NM), the practice of engaging with illness through artistic dimensions, can be used to address the “difficult to teach” clinical competencies such as empathy, ...Read more >

Background: The interpregnancy interval (IPI) is defined as the time between a live birth or stillbirth and the onset of a subsequent pregnancy. Short IPIs (60 months) have been associated with congenital anomalies, labor dystocia, and pre-eclampsia. While patients receive a great deal of counseling regarding contraception, it is unclear if they receive counseling about ...Read more >