Long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (LARC) including intrauterine devices and implants provide highly effective birth-control but are underutilized among low-income women in the US. With higher rates of unintended pregnancies in this population and higher use of less effective contraceptive methods, greater efforts are necessary to address barriers to acceptance and use of effective family planning ...Read more >

The socio-political climate in which abortion services occur differs significantly between the US and Canada. These different environments may impact recruitment, retention and quality of life for abortion clinicians as well as their approaches to medical practice of these services. Building on previous surveys of National Abortion Federation member clinics in the US in 1997 ...Read more >

In the US, one in five women report being sexually assaulted at some point in their life. Despite the fact that studies have shown that 5% of rapes lead to pregnancy, other research has shown that there is a gross underutilization of emergency contraception (EC) in prophylactic care for sexual assault survivors. In fact, a ...Read more >

New research suggests that sexual minority women (SMW) have an increased risk of unintended pregnancy compared to their heterosexual peers. While scholars have documented some of the pathways leading to teen pregnancy disparities for adolescent SMW, few studies have examined adult SMW’s elevated risk of unintended pregnancy, despite distinct differences between adolescent and adult developmental ...Read more >

Access to abortion is becoming increasingly difficult in the era of state-mandated Targeted Regulation of Abortion (TRAP) laws. Of particular concern is the so-called “heartbeat” law, wherein abortion is deemed illegal after visualization of fetal cardiac activity. These laws may prohibit abortion access as early as after six weeks gestation, effectively eliminating access to the ...Read more >

Objective: Legislative barriers to abortion access are evaluated by courts against ill-defined standards of imposition of “undue burden.” Recently, travel of >150 miles has been accepted legally as undue burden. We attempted to determine if women traveling 150 miles or more for abortions perceive greater burden than those traveling less. Method: We surveyed women in ...Read more >

We request funding for an interdisciplinary planning award to support the development of a rigorous research protocol to evaluate the impact of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on contraceptive service provision in safety net clinics in the US. Our team includes Drs. Blair G. Darney, Maria I. Rodriguez, and Erika Cottrell, who bring, respectively, expertise ...Read more >

This feasibility study will utilize a mixed methods approach over two distinct phases. Phase I: We will collect multiple sources of qualitative data to inform a counseling tool aimed at improving IUD users’ success and confidence in IUD self-removal. This will include conducting a series of focus groups with persons who have attempted IUD self-removal ...Read more >

Background: At a time when most states are working to restrict abortion, Massachusetts stands out as one of the few states with multiple state-level policies in place that support abortion access for low-income women. In 2006, Massachusetts passed health care reform, which resulted in almost all residents having insurance. Also, almost all state-level public and ...Read more >

Objectives: To assess women’s interest in over-the-counter (OTC) access to oral contraceptive pills (OCPs). Methods: We performed a nationally representative survey of adult women at risk of unintended pregnancy (age 18-44, not pregnant or seeking pregnancy, sexually active, not sterilized) using the Knowledge Networks probability-based web panel. In November-December 2011, 2,046 eligible women completed the ...Read more >