Background: While prior research has shown that psychological health prior to an abortion is a strong predictor of post-abortion mental health and coping, research understanding the role of psychological health in other important post-abortion outcomes, such as contraceptive decision-making is lacking. Objective: The goal of this research is to examine how women’s levels of depression, ...Read more >

This project will assess the unmet demand for female sterilization in a sample of Mexican origin oral contraceptive users, as well the factors underlying that demand and the availability of this method of contraception in El Paso, Texas. It will build on the research findings and infrastructure of the project “Border Contraceptive Access Study,” in ...Read more >

Objectives: We describe payor for contraceptive visits and uptake of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) during 2013 and 2014, before and after Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation, in a network of diverse Community Health Centers (CHCs) and estimate the relative contributions of the ACA, Title X, and state 1115 or SPA family planning programs to insurance ...Read more >

Background: The decades-long conflict, human rights violations, and lack of development in Eastern Burma have led to mass displacement of women from Burma into Thailand. These women face significant challenges accessing safe abortion care. Objectives: We evaluated two programs designed to reduce harm from unsafe abortion: a referral program in Northern Thailand and a misoprostol ...Read more >

All women can face obstacles when accessing reproductive health services. For some, obstacles are even greater. Over the last decade, Dr. Davis has created a network of researchers and clinicians dedicated to improving the reproductive health of two special populations: women with epilepsy seeking contraception and women in the second trimester of pregnancy seeking abortion. ...Read more >

Family planning has been shown to save the lives of women and children living in developing countries, yet it is estimated that between one third and nearly half of all women in developing countries using modern reversible contraceptive methods discontinue their method within 12 months of initiation. The objective of this study is to investigate ...Read more >

Objectives: We assessed how the restrictive policy and limited service environment in Alabama affects women’s access to abortion care. Methods: We analyzed anonymized billing data for all abortion encounters provided at two Alabama clinics in 2013 (n=2,216) to examine the distances women traveled to reach the clinic and the number of days between their consultation ...Read more >

Introduction: Intrauterine device (IUD) insertion is a painful procedure, particularly for nulliparous women. Interventions to reduce IUD insertion pain have not been identified. Nitrous oxide administered with oxygen (NO) is a safe analgesic with minimal side effects. We compared IUD insertion pain reported by nulliparous women randomized to NO versus oxygen. Objective: 1. To compare ...Read more >

Objective: To determine if differences exist in the pharmacokinetics of levonorgestrel-only emergency contraception (LNG-EC) in normal, obese and extremely obese users. Methods: Healthy, reproductive-age, ovulatory women with normal (BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m2), obese (BMI = 30-39.9 kg/m2) and extremely obese (BMI >= 40 kg/m2) BMIs were orally administered 1.5 mg LNG-EC. Dosing occurred on day 8 ...Read more >

Background: After one of the longest drug review processes in Canadian history, in July 2015 Health Canada approved mifepristone/misoprostol, the gold-standard of medication abortion, for early pregnancy termination. However, Health Canada’s decision included a number of non-evidence based restrictions with respect to both gestational age eligibility and service delivery. Mifegymiso was finally introduced in early ...Read more >