Written by Sally Rafie, PharmD, BCPS, APh, FCCP, FCPhA Primary care clinicians can prescribe mifepristone and misoprostol to be dispensed by a pharmacy as a means to increase access to medication abortion. Patients can fill the prescriptions at a certified brick-and-mortar or mail-order pharmacy of their choice. In January 2023, pharmacies were granted the ability…
Written by Meghan Hynes Although health care professionals and institutions are evolving from treating addiction as a moral failing to treating it as a chronic disease in recent years, substance use during pregnancy remains misunderstood and heavily stigmatized. This stigmatization can negatively affect how health care professionals perceive patients with substance use disorders (SUDs) and…
Written by Kenya Lyons, MD The administration of mifepristone followed by misoprostol is a highly effective regimen for the management of first-trimester miscarriage and medication abortion.1 However, even prior to the onset of legal challenges to mifepristone, including FDA v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the search for alternative therapies existed. This has been driven by…
Written by Veronica Flake, MD Ulipristal Acetate (ella, UPA) is an effective emergency contraception (EC) method, given as a one-time, 30-mg dose, which can be used for up to 120 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy. UPA is a selective progesterone receptor modulator with antagonistic and partial agonistic effects that prevents or delays…
This resource from the University of California San Francisco compares tubal sterilization with long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods like the IUD and Implant.
Written by Brandy Bautista This article was published in April 2024, before the Supreme Court released its ruling in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration on June 13th. In its ruling, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the challenge to mifepristone access. While we celebrate this decision, we know this will not…
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, medical providers in states where abortion is banned or severely restricted have struggled to understand how state laws apply to them and their patients. This resource from the Abortion Defense Network aims to provide clarification, where possible, of what conduct is permitted in the states where the…
By Joi C. Spaulding MD, MS Opill, a daily progestin-only birth control pill (POP), was first approved for over-the-counter (OTC) use by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 13, 2023. As of March 2024, the pill is now available to people of all ages to purchase at retailers online and in…