Background:  Adolescents and young adults have the highest rates of unintended pregnancy in the US.  Long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods are highly effective and are recommended as first line birth control methods for all women.  Less than 5% of adolescents who use birth control use LARC methods.  In our clinical setting, having a high pre-visit ...Read more >

Background: Of the 1.3 million women undergoing abortion procedures in the US annually, half have had a prior abortion.  Multiple studies have shown that when women use a long acting reversible contraceptive method (LARC) such as an IUD or a subdermal implant immediately following their abortion, their likelihood of having a repeat abortion is decreased. ...Read more >

Background: Unintended adolescent pregnancy continues to be a significant public health challenge in the US today, with up to 80% of teen pregnancies being unintended. Most unintended pregnancies are due to incorrect or inconsistent use of contraception. Long-acting, reversible contraceptives (the intrauterine device (IUD) and subdermal implant (implant)) are a potentially ideal contraceptive to address ...Read more >

Objective: To estimate the effect of oral midazolam on patient pain and anxiety perception during first-trimester surgical abortion. Methods: Between May and December 2013, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients between 6 0/7 and 10 6/7 weeks of gestation received 10 mg oral midazolam or placebo 30–60 minutes before surgical abortion. All patients ...Read more >

While IUDs are well-liked contraceptives, some patients will discontinue them within the first 9 months, and the experiences of these doctor-patient interactions are not well known. This study aims to describe the perspectives and experiences of patients and physicians when patients request an IUD removal within 9 months of insertion. In this qualitative study, we ...Read more >

The purpose of this study was to learn if women taking the ritonavir and other HIV medications in the class of protease inhibitors have lower levels of a birth control medication called norethindrone. Norethindrone (also called the mini pill) is an FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved progestin-only birth control pill used to prevent pregnancy. ...Read more >

We aim to evaluate whether provider trust in the patient will vary by patient race/ethnicity in a family planning setting. We will evaluate whether provider trust in their patient is associated with perceived quality of care as rated by the patients themselves (see Conceptual Model). We hypothesize that it will differ by race/ethnicity and that ...Read more >

We propose to conduct, in parallel, focus group conversations with Latina adolescent mothers and Latino adolescent fathers to 1) understand reasons for use and non-use of contraceptives and 2) to identify barriers to use of LARC. A purposive sample of adolescent mothers and fathers will be recruited from local venues. Self- identified Latino parenting adolescents’ ...Read more >

This study’s primary objective is to survey medical and pediatric oncologists and oncology nurse practitioners to determine if they recommend contraception around the time of cancer diagnosis or treatment. Typical practice patterns, recommendations, and contraceptive knowledge will be explored in this survey. We hypothesize oncologists/oncology nurse practitioners do not regularly address contraception with their adolescent ...Read more >

Obesity is prevalent in reproductive age women and body mass index (BMI) can affect serum levels of contraceptive hormones. We sought to determine if BMI decreased etonogestrel levels in contraceptive implant users, especially as implant use reached three years and beyond. We enrolled 10 normal weight (BMI