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 >

In my early career, I examined the negative impact that institutional restrictions at faith-based hospitals have on obstetrics and gynecology residency training and the subsequent care graduates provide to women, including quantitative and qualitative studies of current trainees and recent graduates. Through the research and training activities proposed in this award, I will investigate solutions ...Read more >

The number of women seeking medication abortion and alternative methods of self-induction is increasing rapidly around the world, particularly in contexts where abortion is highly restricted or where abortion is legally available but inaccessible, such as South Africa. Despite these trends, there is a lack of understanding of women’s experiences with informal sector abortion; furthermore, ...Read more >

Objectives: Define a set of developmental milestones to measure progress through the family planning fellowship and determine readiness for independent practice based on consensus from a majority of fellowship program directors. Methods: Three rounds of surveys were conducted using the Delphi method: Round one solicited both quantitative and qualitative responses concerning the number and content ...Read more >

Objectives: To compare pain control during cervical dilation between two paracervical block (PCB) techniques among women undergoing first trimester surgical abortion. Our research group established the benefit of a specific PCB technique: 20mL 1% buffered lidocaine (2mL at tenaculum site, 18mL paracervical at 4-sites), with a 3 minute wait prior to cervical dilation (PCB 20/4/3). ...Read more >

Background: Abortion stigma is a complex issue, and understanding its manifestation and perpetuation is challenging. However, abortion stigma may have profound social and health consequences for women and it is important for us to better understand it. When faced with unplanned or unhealthy pregnancies, fear of stigma may prevent women from seeking early safe abortions, ...Read more >

Objective: To determine whether manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) or electric vacuum aspiration (EVA) improves physicians’ ability to accurately identify products of conception (POC) in abortions at less than 6 weeks’ gestation. Methods: 498 pregnant women presenting for surgical abortion with mean gestational sac diameter of

Compared to their heterosexual peers, sexual minority (i.e., lesbian and bisexual) girls and women are particularly vulnerable to having poor reproductive health. Our study team has recently documented that sexual minorities are less likely to receive preventative care like Pap tests and more likely to experience a teen pregnancy. We have shown that these disparities ...Read more >

Objectives: Evidence suggests that over-the-counter access to oral contraceptives may improve contraceptive access and use among adult women. Teenagers may particularly benefit from this approach, as they experience disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancy and face unique challenges accessing contraception. However, limited research has focused on teenagers and over-the-counter access. The aims of this study ...Read more >

Objective: To describe the effectiveness of funic potassium chloride (KCl) injection for fetal demise at the time of intact dilation and evacuation, and compare outcomes for patients undergoing intact versus standard dilation and evacuation. Methods: We reviewed medical records of patients who underwent dilation and evacuation at 20 weeks’ gestation or greater from February 2016 ...Read more >