Monthly Women's Health Research Review
Women Value Doula Care During Abortion Procedure, Study Finds
In this study, researchers examine why women appreciate doula care during an abortion despite no evidence of decreased discomfort or improved satisfaction with the experience. They find that women appreciated doulas' companionship and care during the abortion procedure. According to the researchers, "this study underscores the importance of providing women support during their abortion experience."
Study Examines Predictors of Contraceptive Discontinuation Rate Among Teens
In this study, researchers look at what factors predicted contraceptive discontinuation among teens at high risk for pregnancy in Bronx County, N.Y. They find that teens were more likely to discontinue contraceptive use if they used a method other than a long-acting reversible contraceptive, left school prior to high school graduation or had previously used hormonal contraception. They advise increased provider training for IUD insertion, as well as "improved education" to inform providers that medical societies recommend LARC as first-line contraceptives for teens.
LARC Training for Primary Care Necessary To Meet ACA Preventive Health Goals, Commentary States
In this commentary, the authors outline a model they created to teach primary care providers how to provide long-acting reversible contraception. They write that primary care providers must help provide contraceptive care "to realize the [Affordable Care Act's] promise to increase access to essential women's preventive services," and they urge primary care practices to offer such care and residency programs to consider including LARC provision in training programs.
Rights-Based Sexual Health Curriculum May Improve Sexual Health Outcomes in Adolescents, Study Finds
For this study, researchers compare the outcomes of ninth-grade students who received basic sexual health education to those who received a "rights-based" sexual health curriculum, "which seeks to integrate discussions of sexuality, human rights, and gender equality and is driven by recognition of adolescents' fundamental rights to sexual health information and services, self-determination, and nondiscrimination." They find that the rights-based curriculum had "significant, positive" outcomes one year later, but they urge longer-term research.
Study Examines Trends in LARC Use Among U.S. Women, 2009-2012
In this study, the authors examined the use of long-acting reversible contraception among U.S. women between 2009 and 2012. They found that LARC use rose from 8.5% to 11.6% in that time period, mostly driven by an increase in the use of intrauterine devices.
Fetal Tissue Research Is 'Professionally Responsible Success Story,' Commentary States
In this commentary, the authors trace the history of fetal tissue research and outline its societal benefits. Noting that the practice is supported from a legal, medical and ethical standpoint, they conclude that such research "should continue unhindered, to fulfill professional responsibility to current and future patients."
Commentary Outlines Plan for Increasing Access to Medication Abortion in the U.S.
In this commentary, authors discuss the availability of medication abortion in the U.S., noting access and awareness barriers that are not present elsewhere. The authors outline an action plan by which advocates can increase medication abortion awareness, availability and accessibility in the U.S.
Study Assesses Patient, Provider Experiences With Contraceptive Counseling at Medication Abortion
In this study, researchers examine the experiences of health care providers and patients with contraceptive counseling at the time of a medication abortion. They find that while abortion is a convenient time to address contraception, providers must have a certain degree of skill and expertise to do so effectively. The researchers recommend that provider training on how to offer contraception at the time of abortion "explicitly address potential conflicts between the priorities of health professionals and women seeking abortion."
Study Identifies Primary Factors Influencing Women's Satisfaction With Surgical Abortion Experience
In this study, researchers investigate what factors most influenced women's satisfaction with a first-trimester surgical abortion. They find the majority of participating women were satisfied with their abortion experience, and that the top three factors influencing a woman's satisfaction with her experience include the ability to get a prompt appointment, the courtesy of the clinic staff and receiving as much information as desired. The researchers say the findings should motivate clinic staff to "treat women undergoing abortion with dignity and respect."
Rights-Based Sexual Health Curriculum May Improve Sexual Health Outcomes in Adolescents, Study Finds
For this study, researchers compare the outcomes of ninth-grade students who received basic sexual health education to those who received a "rights-based" sexual health curriculum, "which seeks to integrate discussions of sexuality, human rights, and gender equality and is driven by recognition of adolescents' fundamental rights to sexual health information and services, self-determination, and nondiscrimination." They find that the rights-based curriculum had "significant, positive" outcomes one year later, but they urge longer-term research.
Video Round Up
Broadly shares a behind-the-scenes clip from "Across the Line," a virtual reality documentary that uses video and audio recordings from antiabortion-rights protests at U.S. clinics to show viewers what many women experience when trying to access abortion care.
Video Round Up
In this clip, RTV6's Katie Heinz discusses a new social medial campaign launched in reaction to a harmful Indiana law (HB 1337) that bans abortion care based on the sex of the fetus or a fetal disability diagnosis, among other restrictions.
Video Round Up
In this clip, Fox 17 News' Michele DeSelms covers legislation (HB 4787, HB 4830) passed last week in the Michigan House that would penalize individuals who coerce a woman into receiving an abortion.
Video Round Up
In part of a longer clip covering multiple topics, Reuters TV reports on an omnibus antiabortion-rights measure (HB 1411) recently signed into law by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) that bars local health departments from distributing funds for non-abortion-related care to organizations affiliated with abortion providers, among several other provisions.
Video Round Up
WTVF's Chris Conte reports on the outcome of a Tennessee House subcommittee hearing, which advanced one antiabortion-rights bill while deferring or withdrawing several others.
Video Round Up
In this clip, Los Angeles Times reporter Molly Hennessy-Fiske hears from Kristeena Banda -- a clinic administrator at Whole Woman's Health, an abortion clinic in McAllen, Texas -- about what is at stake in a legal challenge to parts of Texas' omnibus antiabortion-rights law (HB 2).
Video Round Up
13 News WOWK reporter Alyssa Meisner interviews several women in West Virginia about Nurx, a smartphone application that helps women access birth control.
Video Round Up
In a segment on HB 2, comedian Samantha Bee interviews Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, and Texas Rep. Dan Flynn (R), one of the bill's authors, for TBS' "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee," Vox reports.
Video Round Up
John Oliver on HBO's "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" discusses the proliferation of attacks on abortion rights in the United States and comments on how such restrictions affect a woman's access to abortion care.
Datapoints
This map, from Bloomberg Business, highlights the rapid decline in abortion access in the United States since 2011.
Datapoints
These maps, compiled using data from the New York Times and the Guttmacher Institute, underscore findings from a recent Times investigation, including that there were more than 700,000 searches for how to self-induce an abortion in 2015.
Datapoints
This chart, compiled by NPR, shows how the majority of countries affected by the Zika virus, which might be linked to a severe birth defect, curb access to contraception and abortion care.
Datapoints
In this map, Center for American Progress' "ThinkProgress" spotlights the 12 states that have cleared Planned Parenthood of any wrongdoing after launching investigations into the organization.
Datapoints
In its latest report card, the Population Institute provides a snapshot of the condition of reproductive rights and health in each state in 2015.
Datapoints
The Guttmacher Institute in this graph shows the rapid increase in the number of state abortion restrictions over the past few years.
Datapoints
In this map, the Kaiser Family Foundation shows how widely abortion coverage varies from state to state in insurance plans sold through the Affordable Care Act's (PL 111-148) insurance marketplaces.
Datapoints
This infographic, released with a new Guttmacher Institute study, shows the increase in use of long-acting reversible contraception among U.S. women between 2002 and 2012.
Datapoints
This map, released with a study from the University of Michigan Health System, shows how an increasing number of state Medicaid programs over the last three years are providing reimbursement for immediate postpartum LARC provision.
At a Glance
"A woman's ability to end her pregnancy too often depends on where she lives, her age and how much money is in her pocket."
— Marcela Howell of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda, discussing ongoing disparities in women's access to abortion care on the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
At a Glance
"If women are not free to make decisions about their own lives and health, they are not free. And if women are not free, none of us are."
— Abortion provider Warren Hern, in a STAT News opinion piece on why he continues to offer abortion care despite receiving harassment and death threats throughout his 42-year career.
At a Glance
"Not since before Roe v. Wade has a law or court decision had the potential to devastate access to reproductive health care on such a sweeping scale."
— Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, on a ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld major portions of a Texas antiabortion-rights law.


