Help Us Protect Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Today!
Oct 18
Written by Samantha Glass Hormonal intrauterine devices (IUDs) have been in use for over thirty years. Levonorgestrel-IUDs prevent pregnancy primarily by inducing a sterile inflammatory response in the uterus that is toxic to sperm and ova, with additional hormonal effects on the endometrium and cervical mucus. There are various hormonal IUD options that are effective…
Sep 20
Written by H. Reeve Bright Requiring a prescription for oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) creates access barriers for patients. Over-the-counter (OTC) OCPs are available in over 100 countries throughout the world, but not in the United States. As of July 2021, 21 states offered pharmacist-prescribed birth control pills, but no states offered over-the-counter OCPs.¹ Recently, HRA Pharma…
Aug 16
Written by Samantha Hyacinth with support from The Well Project Approximately 1 in 7 of the estimated 1.1 million people living with HIV in the US are unaware of their diagnosis.¹ About 40% of new HIV cases involve transmission from someone who is unaware that they have it. Because it is important to start antiretroviral therapy as…
Jul 19
Written by Samantha Hyacinth with support from The Well Project Major advancements in HIV treatment and prevention mean that people living with HIV are no longer limited to condoms for contraception. Most patients with HIV have the full range of contraceptive options. Studies of couples all over the world show that when a person living with…
Jun 21
Written by Samantha Hyacinth with support from The Well Project By the end of 2019, about 1.2 million people aged 13 and older were living with HIV in the United States.¹ Because HIV is transmitted mainly via sex and injection drug use, it carries more stigma than other chronic diseases. People living with HIV are unfairly portrayed…
May 17
Written by Chelsea Faso, M.D. Reproductive coercion is defined as behaviors or policies that interfere with decision-making about contraception and pregnancy. In the US, clinicians have often been complicit in implementing and enforcing reproductive oppression and coercive practices, sending and reinforcing the message: certain groups of people are more fit to parent than others. This…
Apr 19
Written by Angeline Ti, MD, MPH The experience of pain combines cognitive, emotional, and sensory components, and is often a complex interaction between a person’s past experiences, current state of mind, and what nerves are being irritated. While there are a variety of pharmacologic options for pain control with IUD insertions, there are also non-pharmacologic…
Mar 15
Do hormonal contraceptives cause weight gain? One survey of American women indicated that concern about weight gain was the most common single reason for discontinuing combined OCPs.
Feb 15
Written by Deyang Nyandak, MD. Vasectomy is a safe and effective permanent birth control method. Six to eight percent of married couples in the world rely on this method¹. Compared to vasectomy, tubal ligation has 20 times the risk of major complications and three times the cost². Some patients regret vasectomy and wish to conceive. People…
Jan 18
Written by Sheila Attaie, D.O. Substance Use Disorder (SUD) is a treatable chronic illness. People with SUD have higher rates of unintended pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, infertility, and mortality related to pregnancy; and lower rates of contraceptive use¹. People with SUD face profound stigma, barriers to care, and even criminalization when interfacing with the medical industrial complex.…