The obesity epidemic has been accompanied by an exponential increase in weight-reduction surgery. Nearly half of bariatric surgery patients are reproductive age women. While weight reduction surgery is associated with increased fertility, pregnancy in the post-operative period can result in maternal and fetal complications. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Society ...Read more >

Background: More than two decades of research has shown associations among partner violence, reproductive control, and detrimental sexual and reproductive health outcomes including lower use of condoms and other contraceptives, higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, HIV, urinary tract infections, unintended and teen pregnancies, and poor birth outcomes as well as miscarriage due to physical ...Read more >

Objectives: Despite data suggesting a relationship between HIV transmission and hormonal contraception, prior studies have only investigated the mechanism of hormonal influence at the level of the vaginal epithelium, neglecting genital mucus. The Levonorgestrel-Intrauterine System (Mirena, LNG-IUS) exerts contraceptive action by thickening cervical mucus. Changes in cervical mucus induced by the LNG-IUS might impact HIV ...Read more >

Introduction: In 2006, Mexico’s annual abortion rate was 33 per 1000 women of reproductive age. Complications from unsafe abortions account for 8-11% of maternal deaths, and unsafe abortion is the fourth cause of maternal mortality. Access to safe abortion services continues to be restricted throughout the majority of Mexico and laws vary among the 32 ...Read more >

This proposal brings together a creative and skilled interdisciplinary group to answer the following question: How can the stories and experiences of abortion providers be used to change public conversations about abortion, reduce abortion stigma, and stop the proliferation of state-level abortion restrictions? Two of the investigators (Harris and Martin) have developed a repository of ...Read more >

Objective: To investigate the effect of state-mandated abortion counseling requirements intended to dissuade women from having abortions on patients’ individual-level abortion stigma. Methods: We randomized women presenting for abortion to complete a demographic survey and the validated Individual Level Abortion Stigma (ILAS) scale either before (unexposed) or after (exposed) hearing the mandatory Pennsylvania Abortion Control ...Read more >

Objectives: The crucial question facing the contemporary abortion rights movement is why the gay and lesbian movement is winning and abortion rights is losing. Comparisons generally locate their divergent trajectories in the intrinsic nature of each movement’s claim, but research has not investigated how the histories and structures of each matter for their respective outcomes. ...Read more >

Objectives: We aimed to determine if an innovative system-level intervention offering postpartum women contraceptive counseling and provision in conjunction with their infant’s well-baby visit (WBV) increases utilization rates of long-acting reversible contraception, and describe facilitators and barriers to implementation. Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial among women bringing their infants (4.5 months of age ...Read more >

Objectives: To expand my research program in abortion and mental health through working with Danish population registries data. The mental health outcomes we are examining include antidepressant use, suicide attempts, and suicide. Methods: Using Danish population registries, we conducted survival analysis to examine risk of antidepressant use, suicide attempts, and suicide around a first abortion ...Read more >

Objectives: We explored the role that reproductive stigmas play in decision-making when faced with an unintended pregnancy among young low-income women in Birmingham, Alabama. Methods: We conducted six focus groups with low-income women aged 19-24 attending health department clinics and a community college (n=34). Using the focus group findings and our existing abortion stigma survey ...Read more >