Provision of effective contraception in the postpartum period is a vital component of pregnancy care. The intrauterine device (IUD) is an excellent method of contraception and is appealing for use in the postpartum period. Immediate postplacental insertion of the IUD (insertion within 10 minutes of delivery of the placenta) has been studied for decades, and ...Read more >

This project is a randomized controlled trial of two methods of cervical preparation before second trimester surgical abortion at between 14 and 16 weeks. During this period of pregnancy, cervical preparation is usual, but not uniform, and there are two methods of cervical preparation commonly used. One is the insertion of osmotic dilators, usually performed ...Read more >

The US has the highest unplanned pregnancy rate of any developed country (49%). Even women using birth control can experience an unplanned pregnancy. The number of US women taking oral contraceptives (OC) who experience an unintended pregnancy amounts to half a million over a year’s time. Many of these birth control failures occur because of ...Read more >

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 >