Background: High rates of unintended pregnancy worldwide demonstrate there is a gap in available contraceptive methods. If developed as planned, the peri-coital contraceptive pill will be an effective and intuitive method that could be taken in a period before or after unprotected sexual intercourse. Yet successful uptake of a new technology relies on concise terminology ...Read more >

Objectives: Native women have disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancy and sexual violence, and low rates of contraceptive use compared to non-Native women. Native women’s sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is tied to the history of systematic oppression, racism, and coercion against Native communities in the US. This project aimed to facilitate a deeper understanding ...Read more >

Objective: To determine same day pharmacy availability of ulipristal acetate, evaluate for differences in availability expressed to patients and physicians, and to compare the availability of ulipristal acetate with that of levonorgesterel-containing emergency contraceptive pills. Methods: We conducted an observational population-based study utilizing a telephone-based secret shopper methodology. Researchers called all 195 unique retail pharmacies ...Read more >

Physicians can provide compelling testimony when state legislatures consider health issues. However, for abortion legislation, abortion-providing physicians may be discounted as biased or having a conflict of interest. We explored the willingness of non-abortion providing physicians to advocate for abortion access. We recruited Michigan doctors from a range of specialties, who were known by the ...Read more >

The overall goal of this mentor grant is to improve access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) by investigating ways to implement LARC at time frames other than the traditional family planning visit, while simultaneously training new independent clinician-researchers focused on family planning in the US, Malawi and Zambia. Dr. Stuart’s career objectives are to complete ...Read more >

With expanded access to affordable antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa and the recommendation of earlier thresholds for treatment initiation, HIV-infected women are living longer, healthier lives. For HIV-infected women taking ART, using modern methods of contraception to plan pregnancy when CD4 count is high and viral load is low benefits maternal health and prevents ...Read more >

Over a thousand reproductive-aged, homeless women live in San Francisco, many of whom actively use substances. These women often exclusively contact the healthcare system through substance use treatment programs, and/or street-based homeless services. These women also frequently present to labor and delivery with scant prenatal care, or to the Women’s Options Center for later abortions ...Read more >

Approximately 100,000 abortions occur annually in Canada, of which 96% have been provided using surgery to date. Mifepristone, the gold standard for medical abortion, was made available for the first time in Canada in January 2017. The availability of mifepristone has particular potential to improve care for women in rural and remote communities, who currently ...Read more >

Background and significance: The opioid epidemic is a public health crisis affecting the lives of a large number of reproductive age women in the US. Women who use opioids have high rates of unintended pregnancy, low contraceptive use, and they experience social stigma that puts them at risk for low-quality and disrespectful health care. Despite ...Read more >

Over the past decade, our team has worked with families to develop interventions to improve how parents communicate with adolescents about sexual health issues. In recent years, parents have increasingly asked that content be delivered online. Parents report that as families’ schedules have become busier, it is difficult to attend in-person programs. Parents want a ...Read more >