Diabetes affects 2% of all pregnancies, and this number is only expected to rise. Diabetes can lead to major complications during pregnancy affecting both the mother and baby. The risk of these complications is higher in unplanned pregnancies. In the past, studies have shown that women with diabetes are less likely than women without diabetes ...Read more >

This study on abortion referral evaluated how patients navigate the medical system when they desire an abortion and how providers participate in that process. The study had two arms: 1) a patient arm assessing the influence of clinician referral on the time it took a woman to obtain an abortion, and 2) a provider arm ...Read more >

Background: Every year tens of thousands of refugees arrive in the United States. In contrast to other immigrant populations, refugees have often fled war, violence and/or natural disaster. Many refugee women from Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are designated as ‘women-at-risk’ by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) meaning ...Read more >

Oral contraceptive pills are the most commonly utilized form of contraception in the United States. However, there are fears about the safety of combined oral contraceptive (COC) pills, particularly regarding the risks of venous thromboembolic events (VTE) among users. Progestin only pills (POP) have relatively few contraindications and are not associated with risk for VTE. ...Read more >

Background Nearly all of the 3 million unintended pregnancies in the United States each year result from inconsistent or non-use of contraception. Increasing use of the most effective methods of contraception will reduce unintended pregnancies and their social, medical and economic consequences. The contraceptive etonogestrel implant (ENG implant) is 20 times more effective at pregnancy ...Read more >

Background: Hysteroscopic sterilization with Essure is increasingly performed in the outpatient setting. No studied interventions including paracervical block, intravenous or oral sedation, or intrauterine lidocaine, have successfully reduced pain during in-office procedures. Inhaled nitrous oxide with oxygen (NOS) has proven effective for short painful procedures in the outpatient and Emergency Room setting. NOS has analgesic, ...Read more >

Background: The diagnosis of a failed pregnancy or undesired pregnancy is often emotionally challenging. Management of such clinical situations in the US is often by surgical uterine evacuation which itself is associated with physical and emotional stress. Studies have shown that patients with a support network tolerate and recovery better from medical procedures than those ...Read more >

Background Ending a pregnancy is a significant event in a woman’s life, as well as in the lives of her partner, family, and community. In the United States, how women experience abortion has been shaped by sociopolitical processes, medical paradigms, and the Feminist Movement, and less so by women who receive this care. As abortion ...Read more >

Background: Hemorrhage, the most common complication of dilation and evacuations is estimated to occur in 0.8% to 2.1% of procedures. The rate of hemorrhage increases with gestational age, affecting up to 6.3% of dilation and evacuations performed above 18-weeks gestation. Many practitioners report the use of prophylactic uterotonics, like oxytocin, with dilation and evacuation to ...Read more >

Background: The immediate postpartum period is an ideal time to initiate contraception, however many women leave the hospital without an effective birth control plan. Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are highly effective at preventing pregnancy and can be placed immediately after delivery (post-placental insertion). Despite the safety and effectiveness of placing an IUD after delivery, this practice ...Read more >