Inducing fetal demise before abortion in the later second trimester is a common practice despite its unproven utility. Digoxin is the most commonly used feticidal agent among family planning subspecialists, with intrafetal administration more effective at achieving fetal demise than the intra-amniotic route. Reasons for inducing fetal demise before abortion in the later second trimester ...Read more >

Unintended pregnancy remains a public health problem in the US, though most could be prevented by effective contraceptive use. There are a host of reasons for contraceptive failure including user error and decreased access. For women with underlying medical conditions, the contraceptive options are further narrowed due to the comorbidity associated with traditional estrogen-progestin hormone ...Read more >

Objectives: Our goal was to understand patients’ experiences of facility policies that limit practice based on moral or religious teachings. How aware are patients of the doctrine and its influence on care? How much information is furnished to patients about religious policies (if at all) and how do patients feel that the policies affect patient ...Read more >

Background: Despite the high efficacy of intrauterine contraception (IUC), pregnancies can occur with IUC in situ. Studies examining pregnancy outcomes with IUC in situ were done on patients with copper intrauterine device (Cu-IUD) with limited studies that examine pregnancy outcomes with levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS). Outcomes with LNG-IUS may be different from that of Cu-IUD ...Read more >

Objectives: In 2011, North Carolina passed the Women’s Right to Know Act (WRTK) that mandated a 24-hour waiting period and state-scripted counseling prior to abortion. We performed a study to investigate and describe the experience of abortion providers following implementation of this law. Methods: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 31 individuals involved with abortion provision ...Read more >

Background: The involvement of a lay support person, known as a doula, during obstetric care is associated with positive outcomes including decreased analgesic need and obstetric interventions. The full spectrum doula is a model in which doulas support women throughout their reproductive experiences, including birth, miscarriage, adoption, and abortion. Objectives: Primary objective is to assess ...Read more >

Background: Unintended pregnancy is common within two years of childbirth, partly due to inadequate access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). Patient out-of-pocket costs for expensive LARC services may limit its use. LARC coverage has increased overall due to the Affordable Care Act but may not extend to postpartum women, given the unique structure of pregnancy ...Read more >

Despite its rarity as a reproductive choice, adoption plays an outsized role in the politics of abortion. The anti-abortion movement has consistently promoted adoption as its preferred solution to unwanted pregnancy, and adoption has been framed as an area of common ground in the abortion debate. This paradigm has consequences for how adoption is understood ...Read more >

Abortion is a leading cause of maternal mortality in Botswana, where legal abortion is restricted. Post-abortion care services are provided by government hospitals for complications following unsafe abortion. The health services are flooded with women presenting with diagnoses of spontaneous, threatened, or incomplete abortion, accounting for more than half of admissions to gynecology wards. Recent ...Read more >

Catholic hospitals care for one in six US patients and follow the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare Services, which prohibit abortion, contraception, sterilization, and certain treatment for obstetrical complications. Defenders of institutions’ rights to refuse this care argue that women can simply choose other providers. But, if women are not aware of the ...Read more >