Background: Since the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision in June 2022, providers throughout the U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: In South Asia, younger women have high rates of unmet need for family planning and low empowerment. Life skills interventions can equip young women with agency, but the effectiveness of these interventions in reproductive and sexual autonomy and contraception has not been examined.
Methods And Analysis: A two-arm, parallel, cluster randomised controlled trial will evaluate the impact of TARANG (Transforming Actions for Reaching and Nurturing Gender Equity and Empowerment), a life skills and reproductive health empowerment group-based intervention for newly married women, compared with usual services in the community in rural and tribal Rajasthan, India.
Objectives: The objective of this study was to describe the use of telemedicine for contraception in a sample of young adults and examine differences by health insurance coverage.
Study Design: We analyzed survey data collected from May 2020 to July 2022 from individuals at risk of pregnancy aged 18 to 29 recruited at 29 community colleges in California and Texas. We used multivariable mixed-effects logistic regression models with random effects for site and individual to compare the use of telemedicine to obtain contraception by insurance status, sociodemographic characteristics, and state.
Symptoms of mental distress increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among older adolescents and young adults. Mental health distress may make it more challenging for young people to seek other needed health care, including contraception. This study explored the association of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress with delays in getting a contraceptive method or prescription.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Concerns about safety and side effects from contraceptives are widespread and related to reluctance to use them. Measuring these concerns is an essential component of understanding contraceptive decision-making and guiding contraceptive and interpregnancy clinical care.
Methods: We used qualitative research and item response theory to develop and test a psychometric instrument to measure contraceptive concerns and beliefs.
Objectives: This study examines the concern that contraception affects future fertility among community college students and its association with contraceptive use.
Study Design: We used baseline data from a randomized controlled trial with 2060 community college students assigned female at birth. We used mixed-effects multivariate logistic regression adjusted for clustered data to assess sociodemographic factors associated with concerns about contraception affecting future fertility and to test the association between this concern and contraceptive use.
Background: Young people's ability to use their preferred contraceptive method is an indicator of reproductive autonomy and healthcare access. State policies can hinder or facilitate access to a preferred contraceptive method.
Objective: This study compared use of preferred contraceptive method in Texas and California, states with contrasting health policy contexts that impact health insurance coverage and access to subsidized family planning services.
Background: Female genital fistula, largely caused by prolonged obstructed labour, is treated by surgical repair. Preventing pregnancy for a minimum period post-repair is recommended to ensure adequate healing and optimize post-repair outcomes.
Methods: We examined contraceptive preferences and use among Ugandan fistula patients (n = 60) in the year following genital fistula surgery using mixed-methods.
Introduction: Agency in contraceptive decision-making is an essential aspect of reproductive autonomy. We conducted qualitative research to investigate what agency means to patients seeking contraceptive care to inform the development of a validated measure of this construct.
Methodology: We held four focus group discussions and seven interviews with sexually-active individuals assigned female at birth, ages 16-29 years, recruited from reproductive health clinics in Northern California.
Purpose: Emergency contraception (EC), the 'last chance' contraceptive method, has gained significance post-Roe, but most young people do not know their options.
Methods: We conducted an educational intervention on EC among 1,053 students aged 18-25 years. We assessed changes in knowledge of key aspects of EC using generalized estimating equations.
Objectives: To synthesize published literature on POP effectiveness and efficacy.
Study Design: We searched PubMed Central, PubMed, and the Cochrane library through March 07, 2022. We included articles written in English reporting a Pearl Index or life table rate for pregnancy.
Background: Early and appropriate use of antenatal care services is critical for reducing maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity. Yet most women in sub-Saharan Africa, including Uganda, do not seek antenatal care until later during pregnancy. This qualitative study explored pregnant women's reliance on social ties for information about initiation of antenatal care.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Patient agency in contraceptive decision-making is an essential component of reproductive autonomy.
Objective: We aimed to develop a psychometrically robust measure of patient contraceptive agency in the clinic visit, as a measure does not yet exist.
Design: For scale development, we generated and field tested 54 questionnaire items, grounded in qualitative research.
Background: Telehealth use rapidly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, including for contraceptive care (e.g., counseling and method provision).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objectives: Virtual intrauterine device (IUD) training options can improve clinician continuing education and patient IUD access. Our objective was to evaluate a virtual, hands-on IUD training for primary care clinicians.
Methods: Training sessions occurred via video conferencing and included didactic instruction on IUD eligibility, counseling, placement, and removal.
Background: Telemedicine expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, including for contraceptive services. Data are needed to understand whether young people can access telemedicine for contraception, especially in underserved populations.
Objective: To compare young people's perceived access to telemedicine visits for contraception during the COVID-19 pandemic by food and housing insecurity.
Background: Providers faced challenges in maintaining patient access to contraceptive services and public health safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to increased barriers to care, providers increasingly used telemedicine for contraceptive care, curbside services, mail-order pharmacies, and on-line or home delivery of contraceptive methods, including self-administration of subcutaneous depo medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-SQ). To better understand how reproductive health providers adapted service provision during the pandemic, this study assessed clinical practice changes and strategies providers adopted throughout the United States to maintain contraceptive care, particularly when clinics closed on-site, and the challenges that remained in offering contraceptive services, especially to marginalized patient populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFYoung people in the United States know little about contraceptive options available to them, although method use is sensitive to individual preferences, and method switching is common. For young people to gain reproductive autonomy, a first step is to be aware of different contraceptives, including hormonal and nonhormonal methods. We tested whether an educational intervention delivered on community college campuses was effective in increasing contraceptive awareness.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Contraceptive use is lower among students attending community college than 4-year college students, which may be due to financial barriers to accessing contraceptives. This study examined insurance coverage, access to free or low-cost birth control, and concerns about contraceptive costs among women in community college.
Methods: We analyzed data from a study conducted at five community colleges in California and Oregon, which have expanded Medicaid coverage of family planning services for low-income individuals.
Objectives: Women may differ by whether they rely on health providers and/or social ties for seeking information and advice about family planning. It is unknown whether these differences matter for contraceptive outcomes. This study assessed the association between women's family planning (FP) network (social and/or provider ties) and contraceptive use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Both inpatient and outpatient providers may be at increased risk of stress, anxiety and depression from their roles as health providers during the COVID-19 epidemic. This study explores how the US COVID-19 epidemic has increased feelings of stress, anxiety and depression among outpatient reproductive health providers.
Methods: We conducted a survey with open-ended responses among outpatient reproductive health providers across the U.
Background: Ensuring women have information, support and access to family planning (FP) services will allow women to exercise their reproductive autonomy and reduce maternal mortality, which remains high in countries such as Madagascar. Research shows that women's social networks - their ties with partners, family members, friends, and providers - affect their contraceptive use. Few studies have considered the role of men's social networks on women's contraceptive use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: While community health centers (CHCs) are meeting increased demand for contraceptives, little is known about contraceptive counseling in these settings. Understanding how clinicians counsel about IUDs in CHCs, including whether they address or disregard young people's preferences and concerns during counseling, could improve contraceptive care.
Methods: As part of a training program, 20 clinicians from 11 San Francisco Bay Area CHC sites who counsel young people about contraception were interviewed by telephone in 2015 regarding their IUD counseling approaches.