Black women in the US are more likely to experience unintended and short-interval pregnancies, which are associated with increased risk of adverse birth outcomes for mothers and infants. Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), including the placement of intrauterine devices (IUDs) or implants, is the most effective contraceptive method for reducing unintended and short-interval pregnancies; however, Black ...Read more >

Motivation for contraceptive use hinges on the user’s assumption that they are fertile—capable of conceiving or impregnating. The idea of infertility carries anxiety and stigma for many and, with no way to validate fertility other than attempting pregnancy, may cause people to doubt their reproductive capacity and need for contraception even though they have no ...Read more >

Provision of long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) before women leave the delivery hospital can be difficult for health care systems to achieve due to the high costs of devices and insertion. In response to challenges with the global fee for labor and delivery services, 37 states since 2012 have established mechanisms to provide appropriate reimbursement for ...Read more >

This study will examine the experiences of sexual and gender minority (SGM) young people who have had at least one abortion. This study will be innovative by lifting voices of those who are typically excluded from traditional women’s health research and practice. The overall focus of this study will be on understanding SGM young people’s ...Read more >

April J. Bell has designed and implemented data collection and evaluation systems in domestic and international settings. She received her BA in Human Biology from Stanford University, her MPH with a dual concentration in Epidemiology and Social and Behavioral Sciences from the School of Medicine at Indiana University (IU) and is a PhD candidate in ...Read more >

Developments in new medical technologies and increased access to health-related information online have led to a surge in self-care or “DIY medicine,” loosely defined as the attempt by lay people to self-manage their healthcare outside of the formal medical setting. This study will explore the influence of social networks on a particularly stigmatized health behavior: ...Read more >

Objective: Pre-gestational diabetes increases the risks of adverse maternal and neonatal pregnancy outcomes such as preeclampsia, preterm delivery, neonatal macrosomia, and birth defects. These risks are further increased if the pregnancy was unplanned. This study aims to examine the prevalence, predictors, and consequences of unplanned pregnancy among women of reproductive age with pre-gestational diabetes in ...Read more >

Despite the method’s effectiveness and safety, vasectomy remains an underutilized contraceptive method in the US. National data has shown there are significant disparities in vasectomy use based on men’s racial/ethnic identity, education, and income, however, questions remain about why these differences exist. Currently, there is limited empirical data on men’s views on vasectomy to help ...Read more >

Historically, the field of family planning has not considered the role of sexual identity in shaping family planning needs. Given that roughly 20% of women under 30 identify as something other than heterosexual and face reproductive health disparities, family planning must be attuned to the needs of this population. Sexual minority women, including lesbian and ...Read more >

Access to dilation and evacuation is limited in most of the US. Induction termination (also referred to as medical abortion or labor induction) is an acceptable alternative to dilation and evacuation as a method for second-trimester abortion and may be preferable to dilation and evacuation for some patients. Induction termination is typically offered to patients ...Read more >