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Background: Little information exists about individuals born outside of the United States who seek abortion services from U.S.-based providers. Baseline data are necessary to identify future changes in the profile of this population. Materials and Methods: Using the Guttmacher Institute's Abortion Patient Survey, we pooled two national samples of individuals obtaining abortions from 2008–2009 to 2013–2014 to provide data on 17,873 respondents, 16% of whom were immigrants. We estimated the distribution of immigrant and U.S.-born respondents across demographic and circumstantial characteristics such as age, poverty level, and gestational age at abortion. We compared the distribution of characteristics by nativity status using chi-square tests. Results: The majority of immigrants obtaining abortions were in their 20s (51%), had poverty-level (50%) or near poverty-level incomes (23%), and had graduated from high school (78%). Almost half (45%) were uninsured and a similar proportion had been in the United States for less than 10 years (44%); nearly one-quarter completed their survey in Spanish. Compared with U.S.-born respondents, a larger proportion of immigrants were older, uninsured, and had not completed high school. A smaller proportion of immigrants compared with nonimmigrants had their abortions after 12 weeks (8% vs. 11%) or traveled over 50 miles to obtain their abortion (9% vs. 16%). Conclusions: Particularly with the continued rise in both restrictive abortion and immigration policies in the United States, it is critical to monitor how immigrants' use of and access to abortion services are impacted in the changing environment. Ensuring that policies and clinical practices facilitate abortion access for immigrants will serve to better support the reproductive health needs of all women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The postpartum care visit (PPCV) plays an important role in ensuring the well-being of mother and infant. This study sought to assess correlates of PPCV attendance among women who are at high risk of nonattendance. Materials and Methods: This study used deidentified medical claims data from Virginia Premier—a nonprofit Managed Care Organization that provides health insurance for Medicaid beneficiaries. The association between various correlates and PPCV attendance was examined using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results: Of the 25,692 women in the study, more than half (50.5%) did not attend a postpartum visit. Racial/ethnic minorities and women receiving the majority of their care at hospitals, Health Departments, or Federally Qualified Health Centers were more likely to attend their postpartum visit. Women who smoked and those who did not attend prenatal care had reduced odds of postpartum visit attendance. Age, education, and delivery method were not found to be significantly associated with PPCV attendance. Conclusions: Our results highlight factors associated with attendance of PPCVs in low income populations. The continued disparity in postpartum care utilization compels additional efforts to improve access to health services across socioeconomic and demographic boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In low-income settings, many women and girls face activity restrictions during menses, owing to lack of affordable menstrual products. The menstrual cup (MC) is a nonabsorbent reusable cup that collects menstrual blood. We assessed the acceptability and performance of the MPower® MC compared to pads or tampons among women in a low-resource setting. Methods: We conducted a randomized two-period crossover trial at one site in Durban, South Africa, between January and November 2013. Participants aged 18-45 years with regular menstrual cycles were eligible for inclusion if they had no intention of becoming pregnant, were using an effective contraceptive method, had water from the municipal system as their primary water source, and had no sexually transmitted infections. We used a computer-generated randomization sequence to assign participants to one of two sequences of menstrual product use, with allocation concealed only from the study investigators. Participants used each method over three menstrual cycles (total 6 months) and were interviewed at baseline and monthly follow-up visits. The product acceptability outcome compared product satisfaction question scores using an ordinal logistic regression model with individual random effects. This study is registered on the South African Clinical Trials database: number DOH-27-01134273. Results: Of 124 women assessed, 110 were eligible and randomly assigned to selected menstrual products. One hundred and five women completed all follow-up visits. By comparison to pads/tampons (usual product used), the MC was rated significantly better for comfort, quality, menstrual blood collection, appearance, and preference. Both of these comparative outcome measures, along with likelihood of continued use, recommending the product, and future purchase, increased for the MC over time. Conclusion: MC acceptance in a population of novice users, many with limited experience with tampons, indicates that there is a pool of potential users in low-resource settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]