Background: Ultrasound in the context of abortion care has been the target of many state level regulations. At the time of this report 14 states are considering bills that would require abortion providers to perform ultrasounds and/or offer fetal images and heart tone sounds to patients. Already 19 states have enacted such laws, with the ...Read more >

There are several benefits of offering implantable etonorgestrel (“the implant”) in the post-abortion population, and its availability may significantly decrease repeat unintended pregnancy. Our prospective cohort study evaluated acceptability of post-abortion implant placement, its effect on post-abortion bleeding, and an ongoing evaluation of one-year continuation. In addition, supplemental funding made recruitment of more implant subjects ...Read more >

Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility of using a patient-operated computer program to assist with provision of hormonal contraception in urgent care settings. Methods: Between January and July 2011, while seeking non-contraceptive urgent or emergent care, women aged 18 – 45 were invited to use an interactive computer program to learn about their contraceptive options and ...Read more >

In the US, the majority of first trimester abortions are performed using vacuum aspiration under local anesthesia, commonly with a paracervical block. Most women are given a pre-operative anti-inflammatory agent such as ibuprofen. We propose that pain management can be optimized using a paracervical block of combined lidocaine and ketorolac, eliminating the need for pre-operative ...Read more >

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and relative effectiveness of two common techniques to achieve fetal asystole prior to second trimester surgical termination of pregnancy. Methods: We recruited 268 women age 18-42 years who desired surgical pregnancy termination between 20 and 24 weeks gestation at a single Planned Parenthood in Los Angeles. Participants were randomly assigned ...Read more >

Background: Few studies have examined women’s values and preferences about contraception. Interventions that assist women with contraceptive decision making have potential to increase value-concordant decisions and improve continuation and satisfaction, thereby decreasing unintended pregnancy. In this study, we used a mixed-methods approach to identify the values and preferences important to women in contraceptive decisions with ...Read more >

Background: Women in the US have extraordinarily high rates of unintended pregnancy, with poor and minority women disproportionately experiencing this adverse reproductive health outcome. This high rate of unintended pregnancies is caused in part by the under-use and misuse of effective contraceptive methods. As in the US all non-barrier methods of contraception require consultation with ...Read more >

Approximately 140,000 second trimester abortions are performed in the US each year. Second trimester abortion is most commonly performed by a technique known as dilation and evacuation. Clinicians use digoxin, a drug commonly used for cardiac conditions, to facilitate pregnancy termination in the late second trimester. When injected into the fetus or amniotic fluid, digoxin ...Read more >

Background: Globally there is a dearth of access to safe second trimester abortions. Preoperative cervical ripening improves the safety of these procedures. Prior clinical and pharmacokinetic studies suggest misoprostol and Dilapan-S are effective for faster cervical ripening, allowing early second trimester abortions to be performed in a single day. However, it is unknown which agent ...Read more >

Objective: To explore women’s preferences for pain control during first-trimester surgical abortion. Methods: This was a qualitative study that employed pre- and post-operative semi-structured individual interviews to understand women’s decision making process surrounding pain control for first-trimester surgical abortion. Interviews were taped, transcribed, and are being independently coded by two study investigators to establish a ...Read more >