Objectives: Homeless youth demonstrate high pregnancy rates; such pregnancies are linked to myriad adverse health and life outcomes. Many homeless youth exhibit pregnancy-ambivalent attitudes, yet few research efforts have sought to understand potential influences on such attitude formation that may be found in youths’ complex social networks and surrounding social norms. There is also a ...Read more >

I am seeking a Mid-Career Award in order to continue to mentor a multidisciplinary group of trainees interested in the provision of family planning services. My ultimate goal is to improve birth outcomes by nurturing a team of investigators who are committed to implementing interventions to ensure effective use of contraception by women whose medical ...Read more >

Background: In 2001, Tunisia became the first country in the Arab world to register a dedicated emergency contraceptive pill (ECP). Over the last decade, emergency contraception (EC) has been integrated into both the public and private health sectors and into national service delivery guidelines. In 2005, ECPs were made available, without a prescription, directly from ...Read more >

Introduction: Sayana Press, a subcutaneous formulation of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) prefilled in a Uniject syringe, could potentially improve and expand contraceptive injection services, but acceptability of Sayana Press is unknown. HIV-positive women have a particular need for family planning to avoid unintended pregnancy and risk of vertical transmission. We assessed acceptability of Sayana Press ...Read more >

In Uganda, as in many other countries around the world, social stigma plays a critical role in the social, medical, and legal marginalization of abortion care. Stigma may ultimately determine whether a woman seeks a safe versus unsafe abortion or pursues life-saving medical care when suffering postabortion complications. Effective stigma reduction interventions need to be ...Read more >

Objective: To determine if a combined oral contraceptive (COC) initiated shortly after ulipristal acetate (UPA) administration interferes with its mechanism of action. Study design: Healthy, reproductive-age women of normal BMI with proven ovulation (serum progesterone >=3ng/mL) were enrolled for 3 cycles (Cycle 1, UPA only; Cycle 2 washout; Cycle 3 UPA plus COC). During Cycles ...Read more >

Objectives: To investigate if women desire contraception counseling when seeking first trimester abortion services. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study by distributing self-administered anonymous surveys to women seeking first trimester medical or surgical abortion at three clinics in Sacramento, Chicago and Cleveland. Surveys were completed after registration and before in-office counseling. We asked whether women ...Read more >

This project examined social stigma in shaping Ghanaian adolescent sexual and reproductive health experiences and specifically as a barrier to modern contraception use. The project applied a mixed-methods (qualitative and quantitative) approach across two research study phases carried out in Kumasi and Accra, Ghana. The first study phase consisted of qualitative work to provide a ...Read more >

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 >