What attributes of abortion care affect people's decision-making? Results from a discrete choice experiment.

Objectives: We aimed to measure both stated and experimentally "revealed" abortion provision preferences among US people with capacity for pregnancy.

Study Design: In July 2022, we recruited US residents assigned female sex at birth and aged 18 to 55 years using Prolific, an online survey hosting platform. We asked participants what first-trimester abortion method and delivery model they would prefer.

Physician beliefs about abortion safety and their participation in abortion care.

Objective: To document physicians' beliefs about abortion safety and the associations between these beliefs and physician support for, referral for, and participation in abortion care.

Methods: In a 2019 survey at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, we assessed physicians' abortion attitudes, beliefs, and practices (N = 893). We conducted bivariate analyses followed by logistic regression to document relationships between physician beliefs about abortion safety and their support for, referral to, and participation in abortion care.

"I'm going to be forced to have a baby": A study of COVID-19 abortion experiences on Reddit.

Introduction: The initial stages of the COVID-19 pandemic affected abortion care in the United States (US) in myriad ways. While research has documented systems-level pandemic-related impacts on abortion access and care delivery little information exists about the experiences of abortion seekers during this period. We sought to document the effects of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions US abortion seekers by analyzing posts on Reddit, a popular social media website.

'The Biggest Problem With Access': Provider Reports of the Effects of Wisconsin 2011 Act 217 Medication Abortion Legislation.

Background: Abortion legislation in the United States determines people's access to services, including the abortion modality of their choice. In 2012, Wisconsin legislators passed Act 217, banning telemedicine for medication abortion and requiring the same physician to be physically present when patients signed state-mandated abortion consent forms and to administer abortion medications over 24 hours later.

Objective: No research documented real-time outcomes of 2011 Act 217 in Wisconsin; this study documents providers' descriptions of the effects of Wisconsin abortion regulations on providers, patients, and abortion care in the state.

Characterizing physician concerns with publicly supporting abortion at Wisconsin's largest medical school.

Objective: To examine factors associated with physicians' level of concern and perceived consequences of publicly supporting abortion at Wisconsin's largest and only publicly funded medical school.

Methods: We surveyed physicians at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health about their knowledge, attitudes, and referral practices regarding abortion care. Among those who expressed support for abortion (N = 701), we analyzed perceived concerns about making their support public.

Exploring financial stress and resource deprivation as barriers to preferred contraceptive use in Wisconsin in 2021.

Objective: This study assessed a broad array of socioeconomic barriers in relation to preferred contraceptive use during a time of exacerbated personal and social financial strain (the COVID-19 pandemic).

Study Design: Using statewide data collected in early 2021 through the Survey of the Health of Wisconsin, we conducted bivariate analyses exploring the relationship between socioeconomic resources and preferred contraceptive use among Wisconsin women.

Results: The survey garnered 1889 responses, with a response rate of 34%.

Socioeconomics and Erotic Inequity: A Theoretical Overview and Narrative Review of Associations Between Poverty, Socioeconomic Conditions, and Sexual Wellbeing.

Sexual health includes positive aspects of sexuality and the possibility of having pleasurable sexual experiences. However, few researchers examine how socioeconomic conditions shape sexual wellbeing. This paper presents the concept of "erotic equity," which refers to how social and structural systems enable, or fail to enable, positive aspects of sexuality.

Sex, poverty, and public health: Connections between sexual wellbeing and economic resources among US reproductive health clients.

Objective: To document associations between socioeconomics and indicators of sexual wellbeing.

Methods: We obtained our data from the HER Salt Lake Initiative, a large, longitudinal cohort study of family planning clients in the United States who accessed free contraceptive services between March 2016 and March 2017. Baseline socioeconomic measures included Federal Poverty Level, receipt of public assistance, and difficulty paying for housing, food, and other necessities.

Measuring the Sexual Acceptability of Contraception: Psychometric Examination and Development of a Valid and Reliable Prospective Instrument.

Background: People's sexual experiences have a strong association with contraceptive satisfaction and continuation, but no measures exist to specifically assess contraceptive-related sexual acceptability.

Aim: This study developed and examined the psychometric properties of reliability, separation, and item fit of a new Contraceptive Sexual Acceptability (CSA) instrument.

Methods: Enrolled participants initiating a new contraceptive method from the HER Salt Lake longitudinal cohort study contributed baseline survey responses for scale development.

Willing but unable: Physicians' referral knowledge as barriers to abortion care.

Abortion care is a crucial part of reproductive healthcare. Nevertheless, its availability is constrained by numerous forces, including care referrals within the larger healthcare system. Using a unique study of physician faculty across multiple specialties, we examine the factors associated with doctors' ability to refer patients for abortion care among those who were willing to consult in the care of a patient seeking an abortion ( = 674).

A prospective analysis of the relationship between sexual acceptability and contraceptive satisfaction over time.

Background: Contraceptives are used to prevent unwanted pregnancies and treat certain gynecologic conditions, but many women report non-use or inconsistent use because of method dissatisfaction. The sexual acceptability of contraception-how birth control methods affect users' sexual well-being-is likely an important component of contraceptive satisfaction but has yet to be systematically examined.

Objective: This study aimed to assess contraceptive satisfaction among new-start contraceptive users and examine whether sexual acceptability measures predict contraceptive satisfaction at 3 months while controlling for more commonly measured contraceptive side effects.

Real-Time Effects of Payer Restrictions on Reproductive Healthcare: A Qualitative Analysis of Cost-Related Barriers and Their Consequences among U.S. Abortion Seekers on Reddit.

Objective: The Hyde Amendment and related policies limit or prohibit Medicaid coverage of abortion services in the United States. Most research on cost-related abortion barriers relies on clinic-based samples, but people who desire abortions may never make it to a healthcare center. To examine a novel, pre-abortion population, we analyzed a unique qualitative dataset of posts from Reddit, a widely used social media platform increasingly leveraged by researchers, to assess financial obstacles among anonymous posters considering abortion.

Expectations about availability of contraception and abortion at a hypothetical Catholic hospital: Rural-urban disparities among Wisconsin women.

Objective: To examine rural-urban differences in reproductive-aged Wisconsin women's expectations for contraceptive and abortion care at a hypothetical Catholic hospital.

Study Design: Between October 2019 and April 2020, we fielded a 2-stage, cross-sectional survey to Wisconsin women aged 18 to 45, oversampling rural census tracts and rural counties served by Catholic sole community hospitals. We presented a vignette about a hypothetical Catholic-named hospital; among participants perceiving it as Catholic, we conducted multivariable analyses predicting expectations for contraceptive services (birth control pills, Depo-Provera, intrauterine device or implant, tubal ligation) and abortion in the case of serious fetal indications.

Prevalence and experiences of Wisconsin women turned away from Catholic settings without receiving reproductive care.

Objective: To estimate prevalence of being turned away from a Catholic healthcare setting without receiving desired reproductive care among Wisconsin women and to document firsthand accounts of these experiences.

Study Design: Between October 2019 and April 2020, we fielded a two-stage survey to Wisconsin women aged 18-45, oversampling rural census tracts and rural counties served by Catholic sole community hospitals. We present prevalence of ever being turned away from a Catholic hospital or clinic without receiving desired contraceptive or fertility care and document accounts of referrals, perceived barriers, and wait times to acquire services elsewhere.

Physician attitudes about abortion and their willingness to consult in abortion care at a Midwestern academic medical center.

Objective: To assess abortion-related attitudes, practices, and perceptions among physicians of all specialties at a Wisconsin academic medical center.

Study Design: We developed and disseminated a cross-sectional web and mail survey to physicians at our academic center using a list generated by Human Resources. We performed descriptive analyses and assessed bivariate relationships between measures of support for abortion, perceived climate of opinion, willingness to consult in abortion-related cases, and sociodemographic and professional characteristics.

Association Between Patients' Perceptions of the Sexual Acceptability of Contraceptive Methods and Continued Use Over Time.

This cohort study examines the association of sexual function, satisfaction, and self-reported sexual acceptability with continued contraceptive use.

Sexual Functioning, Satisfaction, and Well-Being Among Contraceptive Users: A Three-Month Assessment From the HER Salt Lake Contraceptive Initiative.

Few large, longitudinal studies document multiple contraceptive methods' effects on sexual functioning, satisfaction, and well-being. We leveraged data from the HER Salt Lake Contraceptive Initiative, a prospective cohort study with patient surveys at baseline, one month, and three months. Surveys assessed bleeding changes, contraceptive-related side effects, sexual functioning and satisfaction, and perceptions of methods' impact on sexual well-being.

Beyond safety and efficacy: sexuality-related priorities and their associations with contraceptive method selection.

Objectives: Sexuality-related preferences have been understudied in contraceptive selection and uptake. Investigators endeavored to assess contraceptive preferences among patients selecting new methods at family planning clinics and to evaluate the degree to which two sexuality-related preferences are (a) valued and (b) associated with method selection.

Study Design: Data were derived from the HER Salt Lake Contraceptive Initiative, a longitudinal cohort nested in a quasi-experimental, observational study enrolling 18-45-year-old patients at four family planning health centers in Salt Lake County.

Pregnancy (im)possibilities: identifying factors that influence sexual minority women's pregnancy desires.

Sexual minority women (SMW) face both increased risk for unintended pregnancy and barriers to achieving wanted pregnancy, but little research investigates SMW's pregnancy desires. To fill this gap, we conducted five focus groups and 11 in-depth interviews with 20-30-year-old SMW in three US cities. Findings highlight that the heteronormative pregnancy planning paradigm lacks salience for SMW.

Sexual Minority Women and Contraceptive Use: Complex Pathways Between Sexual Orientation and Health Outcomes.

Compared with their heterosexual peers, sexual minority women (SMW; e.g., queer, bisexual, lesbian, pansexual) have an elevated risk for unintended pregnancy.

Sexual Minority Women's Experiences With Sexual Identity Disclosure in Contraceptive Care.

Objective: To describe a group of young sexual minority women's experiences with and preferences for sexual identity disclosure in the context of contraceptive care.

Methods: In Chicago, Illinois, Salt Lake City, Utah, and Madison, Wisconsin, investigators conducted five focus groups (n=22) and 11 interviews with women aged 20-30 years who identified as something other than heterosexual. Focus groups explored social norms regarding contraceptive care; interviews documented individual experiences with contraceptive care.

Do Sexual Minorities Receive Appropriate Sexual and Reproductive Health Care and Counseling?

Context: Sexual minority women (SMW) are less likely to use sexual and reproductive health care services and receive contraceptive counseling than their heterosexual peers. The role of recent sexual partners and the type of information provided when SMW access health services are unclear.

Methods: The National Survey of Family Growth 2006-2015 was used to document sexual orientation disparities in the use of sexual and reproductive health services and counseling in clinical settings among 20,703 women.