Objective: To compare laminaria and Dilapan-S for overnight cervical preparation before dilation and evacuation at 18-24 weeks’ gestation. Methods: This double-blind randomized trial compared laminaria with Dilapan-S for the primary outcome of dilation and evacuation operative time within two cohorts: 18-20 6/7 and 21-23 6/7 weeks’ gestation. We required 160 women to have 80% power ...Read more >

During the Women’s Care 3rd year clerkship, University of Colorado medical students receive one didactic session on abortion. This lecture focuses on surgical techniques and medication protocols and is followed by a case discussion addressing the ethical dilemmas a physician may face when a patient requests pregnancy termination. Students are not specifically trained in options ...Read more >

Study Aims : 1.) To assess which factors influence medical students’ pre-residency intention to provide abortion. 2.) To determine how, if at all, medical students who have applied to obstetrics and gynecology residencies perceive abortion to be relevant to their future patients. 3.) To investigate how pre-residency intention to provide abortion is influenced through medical ...Read more >

Legislation aimed at restricting access to abortion has been persistent in many states, especially the state of Arkansas, significantly impacting women’s access to abortion services. Such legislation specifically impacts low-income women and women of color. Public health intervention is needed to address the schism between constitutes and abortion legislation passed by a vocal minority. Empathy-based ...Read more >

Current literature on the reproductive health of Black women has focused on highlighting differences in reproductive health outcomes between Black women and other racial/ethnic groups. Although, it is acknowledged that the lived experience of Black women contributes to these differences, few studies have attempted to understand the mechanism through which this lived experience influences perspectives ...Read more >

Women of reproductive age with incomes below the federal poverty level (FPL) were five times more likely to report an unintended pregnancy than women living at or above 200% of the FPL. Not surprisingly, abortion patients in the US are disproportionately poor and low income. Laws such as the Hyde Amendment make it difficult for ...Read more >

Objectives: This study aimed to create a comprehensive description of the family planning needs and preferences of women who inject drugs (WWID) and are participants in the Community Health Outreach Workers (CHOW) Project’s Syringe Exchange Program (SEP) in Hawaii. Understanding these preferences will support the development of culturally sensitive and appropriate clinical practices for this ...Read more >

Objectives: Unintended pregnancy rates are highest among low-income women the US. Efforts to address this reproductive health issue include increasing access to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARC) because they are the most effective methods of pregnancy prevention outside of permanent sterilization. While state Medicaid policies have expanded access to immediate postpartum insertion of LARC in recent ...Read more >

Objectives: To determine the feasibility of including parents in contraceptive counseling and to assess whether adolescent-adult contraceptive counseling is acceptable and appealing to adolescents. Methods: Sexually experienced female patients ages 13-21 attending adolescent center visits at Boston Medical Center were approached for participation. Once consent was obtained, subjects identified a trusted adult with whom they ...Read more >

Effective contraceptive counseling is essential to providing women with high quality contraception that they can use correctly and consistently and thereby avoid unintended pregnancies, but what makes counseling effective is a growing area of research. One aspect of counseling that has received little attention is provider self-disclosure – defined as providers making statements regarding personal ...Read more >