Objective: To determine the timing of insertion of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS), post-placental versus interval, that results in the highest rate of LNG-IUS in place by exam at 6-months. Materials and Methods: A randomized control trial of women >36 weeks gestation who underwent vaginal delivery of a singleton and desired LNG-IUS for contraception. Women ...Read more >

US adolescents have high rates of pregnancy, childbearing, and sexually transmitted infections (STI) highlighting the need to identify and implement effective programs that will help improve their reproductive health. Improving adolescents’ reproductive outcomes is a high priority for the City of Philadelphia, where half of the priority areas in the Health Department’s 2014-2018 Strategic Plan ...Read more >

Objectives: To develop a community-wide contraceptive expansion initiative and assess the change in contraceptive method uptake when cost and access barriers are removed in established family planning clinics. Methods: HER Salt Lake is a prospective cohort study examining three 6-month periods, nested in a quasi

Objectives: The unintended pregnancy rate among active-duty women is 72/1,000 women compared to 52/1,000 women in the general population. Despite this, there is little information about servicewomen’s contraceptive and abortion decision making, use, and access. We sought to understand servicewomen’s experiences accessing contraceptives and abortion care and perspectives on military abortion policy. Methods: Servicewomen who ...Read more >

Objective: To describe common barriers faced by physicians initiating second trimester inpatient abortion services and strategies used to overcome them. Methods: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with physicians who initiated or attempted to initiate second trimester inpatient abortion services at US hospitals. Interviews explored participants’ motivation and processes for implementing services, logistics of program implementation, ...Read more >

The objective of this project includes determining if the ovarian follicle possesses the capacity to limit the effectiveness of the emergency contraceptive ulipristal acetate (UPA) through the expression of the drug metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 3A5 (CYP3A5). Studies conducted through the period of support provided by this SFP Research Fund award included determining the level ...Read more >

There are many safe and highly effective forms of contraception available in the US to prevent unintended pregnancies. These methods also offer short and long-term noncontraceptive benefits. Unintended pregnancy, however, continues to be a public health concern in the US. It is well established that unintended pregnancies are associated with infrequent use and method discontinuation ...Read more >

Objectives: One of the few successful treatments for obesity is bariatric surgery. About half of bariatric surgery patients are women of reproductive age. Gastric bypass, a common bariatric surgical procedure, is associated with malabsorption of nutrients and medications. Since OC are still the most popular method of reversible contraception, and are often used by obese ...Read more >

In Haiti, 33% of women who desire to space or prevent pregnancy are not yet using modern contraceptive methods. This gap between those who desire to plan their pregnancies and those using contraceptives is the highest in the western hemisphere. Unmet need for contraception results in unintended pregnancies that can have dangerous outcomes for mothers ...Read more >

This project will use community-based participatory research (CBPR) to engage community-based abortion providers who provide abortions outside of the formal healthcare system as equal research partners in exploring outcomes and best practices related to their provision of out-of-clinic abortion care. Our aims include: 1) Investigate and engage in participatory action related to the following aspects ...Read more >