Written by Mansi Shah, MD What special considerations might there be for fat patients seeking abortion care? In this article, the word fat here is used in the tradition of fat scholars and activists who do so with the aim of reclaiming the word as a neutral descriptor of bodies.1 Fat folks encounter significant stigma…
Written by Jillian MacLeod This Insights provides information about supported decision-making (SDM), which can be used as a tool in obtaining informed consent from people with disabilities that affect their decision-making capacity, like intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) or cognitive disabilities. A patient’s decision to access abortion or early pregnancy loss care is a significant one. As…
Written by Holistic Abortions For people looking to end an early pregnancy, herbs may be a viable and effective option. How they might get used and if they will need to be combined with other methods is highly individualized. Just as there is no one way to make a chocolate cake, there is no one…
Written by Rachna Vanjani Counseling around abortion has traditionally centered around options counseling and medical facts; patients typically receive information about the steps of the abortion, side effects, risks, and what to expect in terms of bleeding, cramping, and pain. Holistic care around mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being during and after an abortion should also…
Written by Anna Fiastro and Emily Godfrey Due in part to increasing abortion bans, pregnancy-related deaths have significantly increased in the U.S. recently.1,2 As a result, the life-saving potential and widely needed provision of medication abortion through telehealth has never been greater. Telehealth medication abortion (teleMAB) consists of a telehealth consultation – either a synchronous…
Written by Kohar Der Simonian The COVID-19 pandemic paved the way for major changes in abortion provision. One important change included modifications to clinic workflows emphasizing that routine use of ultrasound is no longer a requirement for the safe and effective provision of first-trimester abortion care.¹ Abortion without the routine use of ultrasound expands the…
06/02/2023: The resources in this article have been updated. Written by Sadia In the United States, depending on certification, education, and training, midwives can be either licensed midwives (LMs), certified professional midwives (CPMs), or certified nurse midwives (CNMs). Midwives are essential public health agents in maternal health, newborn care, and community healing. Midwives are often…
Written by Rory Tito, MPH Integrating a new service into your practice is no small undertaking, and medication abortion is no exception. You will need a multi-disciplinary team of people dedicated to the implementation of this service. Think of the various roles involved directly in the provision of care, as well as the roles on…
Written by Michael A. Belmonte Intimate partner violence (IPV), a cycle of controlling behaviors committed by an intimate or dating partner, affects more than 1 in 3 women* in the US.¹ These behaviors range from screaming, threatening, insulting, physical and sexual abuse, as well as “progressive isolation, stalking, deprivation, intimidation, and reproductive coercion.”¹ Patients experiencing…
Written by Angeline Ti Since mifepristone became available in the US, the regimen for a medication abortion has generally involved a dose of mifepristone followed by one or more doses of misoprostol. Following the decision from the Supreme Court in Dobbs vs Jackson Women’s Health Organization in the summer of 2022, the availability of mifepristone…