Background: Significant enthusiasm about immediate postpartum placement of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods has prompted concerns about the line between active promotion of LARC methods and coercion, particularly when caring for vulnerable or minority groups. A patient decision aid (DA) on postpartum contraception that women use during pregnancy may be an effective strategy for improving ...Read more >

We propose a partnership between the University of Chicago and the ACLU of Illinois to convene an interdisciplinary team on religious health systems in the Chicago metropolitan area. We will conduct background research and develop a subsequent project aimed at investigating the impact of religiously-affiliated hospital system policies on the provision of sexual and reproductive ...Read more >

Objectives: This project explored the reproductive health of Rohingya women and girls in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and documented their experiences accessing sexual and reproductive health services in Malaysia. Areas of interest included contraception, abortion, sexual and gender-based violence, and adolescent reproductive health. We also interviewed key informants about Rohingya women’s experiences in Malaysia and mapped ...Read more >

Unintended pregnancy continues to be a significant public health problem in the US despite widespread use of contraception. Contraceptive counseling is an important mediator of contraceptive selection and use, but there is little data to indicate what constitutes effective contraceptive counseling. An intervention which improves patient education and counseling has the potential to improve contraceptive ...Read more >

Background: With the historic legalization of abortion in Nepal in 2002, descriptive data on the prevalence of legal abortion services are now available, but little is known about access to contraception and method use, or reproductive behaviors and intentions following abortion. Our mixed-method study examined women’s contraceptive use and continuation after obtaining a legal abortion, ...Read more >

Purpose: This study examined whether 15-19 year old IUD users were more likely to experience complications, failure, or early discontinuation than older users and whether there were differences between users of levonorgestrel-containing IUDs (LNG-IUS) and copper-containing IUDs (CuT380A). Scope: Many US providers remain reluctant to prescribe intrauterine devices (IUDs) to teenagers due to concerns about ...Read more >

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 >