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ObjectiveTo compare perinatal outcomes between elective induction of labour (eIOL) and expectant management in obese women.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingDeliveries in California in 2007.PopulationTerm, singleton, vertex, nonanomalous deliveries among obese women (n = 74 725).MethodsWomen who underwent eIOL at 37 weeks were compared with women who were expectantly managed at that gestational age. Similar comparisons were made at 38, 39, and 40 weeks. Results were stratified by parity. Chi-square tests and multivariable logistic regression were used for statistical comparison.Main outcome measuresMethod of delivery, severe perineal lacerations, postpartum haemorrhage, chorioamnionitis, macrosomia, shoulder dystocia, brachial plexus injury, respiratory distress syndrome.ResultsThe odds of caesarean delivery were lower among nulliparous women with eIOL at 37 weeks [odds ratio (OR) 0.55, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.34-0.90] and 39 weeks (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.63-0.95) compared to expectant management. Among multiparous women with a prior vaginal delivery, eIOL at 37 (OR 0.39, 95% CI 0.24-0.64), 38 (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.51-0.82), and 39 weeks (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.56-0.81) was associated with lower odds of caesarean. Additionally, eIOL at 38, 39, and 40 weeks was associated with lower odds of macrosomia. There were no differences in the odds of operative vaginal delivery, lacerations, brachial plexus injury or respiratory distress syndrome.ConclusionsIn obese women, term eIOL may decrease the risk of caesarean delivery, particularly in multiparas, without increasing the risks of other adverse outcomes when compared with expectant management.

The purpose of this secondary analysis was to identify the meaning of normalization for parents of a child with a chronic genetic condition. The sample was comprised of 28 families (48 parents), selected to reflect two groups: Normalization Present (NP) and Normalization Absent (NA). Constant comparison analysis was used to identify themes characterizing parents' perceptions of the meaning of normalization. The meanings parents attributed to normalization reflected their evaluation of condition management, parenting role, and condition impact, with parents in the NP and NA groups demonstrating distinct patterns of meaning. These meaning patterns are discussed as an outcome of normalization. Providers can play a pivotal role in helping families achieve normalization by providing guidance on how to balance condition management with normal family life. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 33:87-98, 2010 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complications from abortive events are difficult to measure and compare across settings due to lack of standardized definitions, limited available data, and stigma. Globally, indirect methods are used to estimate the incidence of abortion complications by using provider reports as a proxy; however, few studies rely on clinical data for abortive event complications. Several studies show that many abortion clients seek PAC for reasons other than a complication such as confirmation of a complete abortion. We describe care-seeking for abortive events and complication rates over time (2018–2022) and by state from the Mexican public hospital discharge register. We used hospital discharge data from Mexico (called SAEH). We included hospital facilities operated by national and state ministries of health; since our focus is on complications (rather than incidence), we include only hospitals, where complications are treated. We included ICD-10 codes O02-O08 and Z303. Our primary outcome is the existence of a complication and details about type of complication. Complications reported include codes for excessive bleeding, infection, embolism, and unspecified. We also identified procedure type (aspiration, curettage, misoprostol). We included additional socio-demographic and clinical information available in the discharge record. We described patient characteristics, complications, and procedure type by year (2018-2022). We calculated state-level abortion complication rates (complications per 1,000 events) and created a heat map of the rate of abortion complications by state. We included 399,405 patients who received hospital-based care for an abortive event between 2018-2022. Patient demographic characteristics were stable over time (2018-2022). Overall, the largest age category was 20-24 years old (27%) and 2.5% of patients spoke an indigenous language. Abortive events primarily occurred at or less than 13 weeks of gestation (74% overall) and this proportion increased slightly over time from 73% in 2018 to 77% in 2022. Of all the patients who received care for abortive events, the overwhelming majority (93%) had no complication recorded and was stable over time. Of the 6-8% of patients who did experience a complication, the most common designation was "unspecified" with 6% of abortive events in 2018-2020; 5.6 % in 2021 and 3.9% in 2022. Reports of excessive bleeding, embolism, and infections were between <0.1-1% for all years. The states with higher complication rates are located primarily in the central and southern regions. The proportion of cases that were treated using curettage decreased from 55% in 2018 to 46% in 2022; the use of aspiration increased over time from 22% in 2018 to 29% in 2022, and use of misoprostol was less than 2% of cases overall. In Mexico, most patients who seek care for abortive events (induced, spontaneous, or post-abortion) in Ministry of Health hospitals have no complications. Curettage remains common and misoprostol is underutilized in the hospital setting in Mexico. Conflating care-seeking and complications overestimates of the risk of abortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To understand in-facility follow-up care-seeking behavior among both people who self-managed medication abortions and those who obtained facility-managed care in low-and-middle-income countries. We explore factors that contribute to meeting individual self-reported follow-up care needs, core to person-centered care., Study Design: We conducted a qualitative, codebook thematic analysis of 67 in-depth interviews conducted with people who self-managed medication abortions or obtained facility-managed medication abortion care. We first classified individuals as having their follow-up care needs met (not seeking care when the participant felt confident that additional care was not warranted or desired or receiving care if it was desired) or not. Our a priori analytic domains came from the Anderson model of health services utilization - predisposing, enabling, or need factors (perceived and evaluated need for health services) that contributed to having follow-up care needs met or not. We also describe emergent themes within each domain., Results: Most participants (n=59, 88%) had their follow-up care needs met; half (n=33, 49%) sought follow-up care in a facility. Prior birth or abortion experiences emerged as predisposing factors for having follow-up care needs met. Having accompaniment support (from activists or hotlines who provide abortion guidance outside of clinical settings), knowing what to expect, and information sources were key enabling factors for having follow-up care needs met. Need factors included flexible follow-up care guidelines. Those who did not have their follow-up care needs met described predisposing negative health system experiences; enabling factors including health system challenges, stigma from providers, and legal risk; and need factors of required follow-up care guidelines., Conclusions: Medication abortion follow-up care experiences are diverse, and individual needs can be met both in and outside of health facilities. Understanding prior experiences, enabling accompaniment support, and considering flexible follow-up care guidelines can support meeting individual follow-up care needs, which is essential to person-centered abortion care., Implications: Follow-up care needs, essential to ensuring access to high-quality abortion services, can be met in both self-managed and in-facility medication abortion models. Policies that require follow-up care when it is not needed or desired by the person can reinforce ideas that self-managed abortion is not safe or effective, despite existing evidence., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: We test whether the level of acculturation is associated with reproductive autonomy among Mexican-origin Latinas in Oregon., Study Design: This was a cross-sectional study that used validated reproductive autonomy and language-based acculturation scales and sociodemographic information. We compared maximum reproductive autonomy score, overall and for each subscale (decision-making, freedom from coercion, and communication), by acculturation group. We developed a multivariable logistic regression model adjusted for age, education, and regular income source., Results: Our sample included 434 respondents: 70.7% low, 26.7% bicultural, and 2.5% in the high acculturation group. A higher unadjusted proportion of women in the bicultural/high acculturation group than the low acculturation group had maximum reproductive autonomy scores (13.4% compared with 3.9%; p < 0.001). In adjusted analyses, women in the high/bicultural acculturation group had significantly higher odds of reporting a maximum reproductive autonomy score (adjusted odds ratio = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.08-5.98)., Conclusions: Language-based acculturation was positively associated with reproductive autonomy among a community-dwelling sample of Mexican-origin Latinas in Oregon., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: We describe clients in Mexico City's public abortion programme, Interrupción Legal de Embarazo (ILE), during the COVID-19 pandemic and test whether the pandemic exacerbated inequities in access., Methods: We conducted a cohort study of all abortions in the ILE programme from 1 January 2019 to 30 June 2022. We compared patients from within and outside the Mexico City Metropolitan area (ZMVM) by pandemic stage (pre-, acute-, mid- and late-COVID periods) and assessed changes in client characteristics (adolescent age, education, weeks' gestation) by place of residence (ZMVM vs outside the ZMVM) using linear probability models clustered on state., Results: We included 45 031 abortions. The proportion of abortions to women who travelled from outside the ZMVM decreased from 6.5% pre-COVID to 4.4%-4.8% in in the acute, mid- and late-COVID periods. The adjusted probability of being an adolescent who travelled from outside the ZMVM dropped between pre-COVID (14.4%, 95% CI 12.7% to 16.1%) and mid-COVID (9.3%, 95% CI 7.9% to 10.7%). The proportion of abortions to women with a high school education stayed fairly flat among those travelling, while it rose among those residing in the ZMVM. The adjusted probability of presenting at 11 gestational weeks or greater was higher among women residing in the ZMVM in the pre-pandemic period; this flipped during all pandemic stages, with a higher probability of presenting at 11 weeks or greater among those who travelled from outside the ZMVM., Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing disparities in who can access ILE services. To reduce inequities in access to essential health services, public sector abortion services should be made available in all Mexican states., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objectives: There is little evidence about how physicians become abortion clinicians or advocates. We describe the ideological trajectories of pro-choice female Mexican doctors and the factors that made them pro-choice., Study Design: In this qualitative study, we conducted semistructured interviews with members of the Mexican Network of Female Pro-choice Physicians. Participants came from eight diverse states. We used a feminist epistemology approach and analyzed data using inductive coding as well as a priori categories (becoming pro-choice, trajectories, and training)., Results: We included 24 female pro-choice physicians. We identified five intersecting factors that influenced becoming pro-choice: feminism, personal experiences, confrontation with the inequalities and violence that women experience, role models, and routine exposure to abortion care. Participants described three ideological trajectories: being pro-choice before studying medicine, not having a specific opinion, and changing from "pro-life" to "pro-choice." Participants described the absence of abortion training in medical schools, stigmatizing training, and the use of alternative training sources., Conclusions: In the absence of training on abortion during medical education, a combination of intersecting personal as well as work-related experience may turn doctors into pro-choice abortion clinicians and/or advocates. The findings of this study may be used to develop comprehensive medical curricula as well as strategies directed at doctors who have never received training on abortion care, such as promoting interactions with nonmedical abortion providers, education on inequalities and violence against women, moving beyond public health to a human rights and gender perspective, and exposure to routine safe abortion care., Implications: Mexican female doctors become pro-choice clinicians who provide abortion care and/or advocates in spite of their medical education., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To describe utilization of prenatal care and outcomes of low birth weight and preterm birth among adolescent births in Mexico., Methods: We used birth certificate data and included live births to individuals 10-24 years, 2008-2019. Our outcomes were binary measures of adequate prenatal care, low birth weight, and preterm birth. We compared adolescents (10-14 years, 15-16, and 17-19) to those 20-24 years. We included individual-, clinical-, and municipality-level variables, used multivariable logistic regression, and calculated adjusted predicted probabilities. We also tested whether receipt of prenatal care moderated the relationship of age with preterm birth and low birth weight., Results: We included a total of 12 106 710 births to women 10-24 years. The adjusted predicted probability of adequate prenatal care increased with age: 56.07% (95% CI 55.82-56.31%) adjusted probability among adolescents 10-14 years compared with 65.51% (95% CI 65.48%-65.55%) among individuals 20-24 years. Receipt of adequate prenatal care in part mitigated disparities in preterm birth and low birthweight across all age groups: 7.30% (95% CI 7.17%-7.43%) adjusted probability of delivering a preterm infant among those 10-14 years who received adequate prenatal care compared with 9.37% (95% CI 9.20%-9.53%) among those 10-14 years without adequate prenatal care., Conclusion: In Mexico, adolescent pregnancies are associated with inadequate prenatal care as well as higher odds of preterm delivery and low birth weight. Youngest adolescents (10-14 years) have the highest probability of adverse outcomes. Adequate prenatal care may help partially mitigate disparities in poor perinatal outcomes., (© 2024 The Authors. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Objective: To assess whether menstrual cycle timing (follicular or luteal phase) of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine administration is associated with cycle length changes., Methods: We used prospectively collected (2021-2022) menstrual cycle tracking data from 19,497 reproductive-aged users of the application "Natural Cycles." We identified whether vaccine was delivered in the follicular or luteal phase and also included an unvaccinated control group. Our primary outcome was the adjusted within-individual change in cycle length (in days) from the average of the three menstrual cycles before the first vaccination cycle (individuals in the unvaccinated control group were assigned a notional vaccine date). We also assessed cycle length changes in the second vaccination cycle and whether a clinically significant change in cycle length (8 days or more) occurred in either cycle., Results: Most individuals were younger than age 35 years (80.1%) and from North America (28.6%), continental Europe (33.5%), or the United Kingdom (31.7%). In the vaccinated group, the majority received an mRNA vaccine (63.8% of the full sample). Individuals vaccinated in the follicular phase experienced an average 1-day longer adjusted cycle length with a first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine compared with their prevaccination average (first dose: 1.00 day [98.75% CI, 0.88-1.13], second dose: 1.11 days [98.75% CI, 0.93-1.29]); those vaccinated in the luteal phase and those in the unvaccinated control group experienced no change in cycle length (respectively, first dose: -0.09 days [98.75% CI, -0.26 to 0.07], second dose: 0.06 days [98.75% CI, -0.16 to 0.29], unvaccinated notional first dose: 0.08 days [98.75% CI, -0.10 to 0.27], second dose: 0.17 days [98.75% CI, -0.04 to 0.38]). Those vaccinated during the follicular phase were also more likely to experience a clinically significant change in cycle length (8 days or more; first dose: 6.8%) than those vaccinated in the luteal phase or unvaccinated (3.3% and 5.0%, respectively; P <.001)., Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccine-related cycle length increases are associated with receipt of vaccination in the first half of the menstrual cycle (follicular phase)., Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure Alison Edelman reports honoraria and/or travel reimbursement from ACOG, WHO, CDC and Gynuity for committee activities. Alison Edelman receives royalties from UpToDate, Inc. Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) receives research funding from OHSU Foundation, Merck, HRA Pharma, and NIH for which Alison Edelman is the principal investigator. Blair G. Darney reports honoraria and travel reimbursement from ACOG and SFP for board, committee, and mentorship activities. OHSU receives research funding from Merck/Organon and OPA/DHHS for which Blair G. Darney is the principal investigator. OHSU receives research funding from OHSU foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ABOG, ASRM and the NIH for which Leo Han is the principal investigator. Eleonora Benhar, Agathe Van Lamsweerde, and Jack T. Pearson are employees of Natural Cycles. Natural Cycles received cost reimbursement from grant funds for data processing and secure transfer. Kristen A. Matteson reports honoraria and travel reimbursement from ABOG and travel reimbursement from ACOG. Women and Infants Hospital received funding from Myovant for consulting work done by Kristen A. Matteson on outcomes measures for heavy menstrual bleeding. Victoria Male reports research funding from Borne, payment for acting as an external examiner for the Universities of Cambridge, Leeds and Swansea, and Trinity College Dublin, royalties received for contribution to Immunology 9th edition (Elsevier), payment for articles in the Guardian newspaper and travel reimbursement for attending the 16th Vaccine Congress (Elsevier). Sharon Cameron receives research funding for a contraceptive focused study from FHI360. Emily R. Boniface did not report any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objective: To evaluate changes in the menstrual pattern of women of reproductive age infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)., Methods: A cross-sectional study at the University of Campinas, Brazil using Google questionnaire applied from December 2021 through February 2022, disseminated through snowball technique. Participants responded about characteristics of their menstrual cycle before the pandemic and before COVID-19 vaccination, and then about characteristics of their cycle 3 months after infection with SARS-CoV-2 and 3 months after vaccination. Our primary outcome was a binary indicator of changes in the menstrual cycle. We used multivariate regression analysis to identify factors associated with menstrual changes., Results: We received 1012 completed questionnaires and 735 (72.7%) were from women aged between 20 and 39 years, 745 (73.6%) were White and 491 (48.6%) lived with a partner. A total of 419 (41.6%) of the women reported SARS-CoV-2 infection; however, only two of them were hospitalized, and 995 (98.8%) of women had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. About menstrual characteristics, 170 (41.3%) reported changes after having COVID-19 and 294 (29.9%) after COVID-19 vaccination, respectively. Few years of schooling, lower income, and non-white ethnicity were related to higher reports of menstrual changes after COVID-19. Menstrual changes after COVID-19 vaccination were associated with not using contraception. Higher body mass index was associated with irregularities in cyclicity and bleeding days, after COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination, respectively., Conclusion: Our results corroborated the stability of the menstrual cycle after having COVID-19 or COVID-19 vaccination; however, there is a potential relationship between menstrual changes and socioeconomic factors as well as contraceptive use., (© 2023 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Objective: We used the newly developed Abortion Care Quality Tool (ACQTool) to compare client-reported quality of medication abortion care by source (facility-managed vs pharmacy-sourced self-managed abortion (SMA)) in Bangladesh., Methods: We leveraged exit and 30-day follow-up surveys collected to develop and validate the ACQTool collected at nongovernmental organisation (NGO)-supported or -operated facilities in the public and private sector and pharmacies from three districts in Bangladesh. We used bivariate statistics to compare 18 client-reported quality indicators grouped in six domains and eight abortion outcomes, by source (facility vs pharmacy). We used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with selected quality indicators and outcomes (abortion affordability, information provision, and knowing what to do for an adverse event), controlling for client sociodemographic characteristics., Results: Of 550 abortion clients, 146 (26.5%) received a facility-managed medication abortion and 404 (73.5%) had a pharmacy-sourced SMA. Clients reported higher quality in facilities for five indicators, and higher in pharmacies for two indicators; the remaining 11 indicators were not different by source. Compared with facility-based clients, pharmacy clients had higher odds of reporting that the cost of abortion was affordable (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 3.55; 95% CI 2.27 to 5.58) but lower odds of reporting high information provision (aOR 0.14; 95% CI 0.09 to 0.23). Seven of eight abortion outcomes showed no differences; pharmacy clients had lower odds of knowing what to do if an adverse event occurred (aOR 0.45; 95% CI 0.23 to 0.82)., Conclusions: In Bangladesh, there is no difference in client-reported quality of medication abortion care between health facilities and pharmacies for the majority of quality and outcome indicators. However, information provision and preparedness were higher quality at facilities, while pharmacies were more affordable., Competing Interests: Competing interests: BGD’s institution receives research funding from Organon and the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) on which she is Principal Investigator, and she is a member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Family Planning (SFP) and a Deputy Editor on Contraception. She has received an honorarium from the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) for committee work., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objective: We describe awareness about the modified "public charge" rule among Oregon's Mexican-origin Latino/a population and whether concerns about the rule influenced disenrollment from state-funded programs, which do not fall under the public charge., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adults (ages 18-59) recruited at the Mexican consulate and living in the state of Oregon. Our outcomes were awareness (of the public charge, source of knowledge, and confidence in knowledge of the public charge) and disenrolling self or family members from state-funded public healthcare programs due to concerns about the rule. We described outcomes and used logistic regression and calculated adjusted probabilities to identify factors associated with awareness of the public charge., Results: Of 498 Latino/a respondents, 48% reported awareness of the public charge. Among those who knew about the public charge, 14.6% had disenrolled themselves or family members from public healthcare programs and 12.1% were hesitant to seek care due to concerns about the public charge. Younger respondents had a lower adjusted probability of awareness of the public charge (18-24 years: 15.6% (95% CI 3.1-28.2); 30-39 years 54.9% (95% CI 47.7-62.0). Higher education was associated with a higher adjusted probability of awareness of the public charge; ability to speak English was not associated with awareness of the public charge., Conclusion: Our study reveals limited awareness about the public charge among Mexican-origin Oregon Latino/as. Outreach and advocacy are essential to ensure Latino/as know their rights to access available state-funded healthcare programs., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Background: Misinformation contributes to the perception that abortion has substantial health risks, despite the known safety of medication and aspiration abortion. We lack detailed information about which health risks the public believes are most likely., Objective: This study aimed to describe public perception of short- and long-term risks of abortion., Study Design: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of US residents aged ≥18 years using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). We collected information regarding participant demographics, reproductive history, political views, and position on abortion restrictions. We provided participants with a list of 9 short-term and 15 long-term possible complications and asked them to indicate whether they occurred never (0%), very rarely (<1%), rarely (1%-5%), occasionally (5%-20%), or frequently (>20%) following abortion. We used descriptive statistics to understand our population demographics and to capture the perceived incidence of all complications. We created a binary indicator of answering all risk estimates incorrectly vs at least 1 estimate correctly, separately for all long-term possible complications, and the 2 short-term risks of infection and bleeding. We determined the proportion of individuals who responded incorrectly to all questions in each category and used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors associated with incorrect perceptions about the risks of abortion., Results: For all listed complications, participant (N=1057) estimates of risk were higher than the known incidence. For both short-term risks of bleeding and infection, over 40% of participants reported that these outcomes occur occasionally or frequently. Similarly, for both long-term risks of depression and anxiety, over 60% of respondents reported that these outcomes occur occasionally or frequently after abortion. Participants reported that possible complications known to not be associated with abortion, including hair loss, future pregnancy complications, breast cancer, and cosmetic disfigurement, occurred at least rarely. Nearly one-quarter of participants responded that death occurs occasionally or frequently (in over 5% of abortions), and 79% of participants responded that breast cancer can result from abortion. One-quarter (24.9%) of participants incorrectly overestimated both short-term outcomes of infection and bleeding, whereas 19.5% answered all long-term complication questions incorrectly, including outcomes that never occur. On multivariable analyses, we identified that the participants most likely to incorrectly identify risks of abortion identified as Asian or Black race/ethnicity, were from rural communities, or believed that abortion should have more legal restrictions., Conclusion: The public perceives abortion to be much riskier than it actually is. This information can be used to develop targeted clinical and public health efforts to disseminate the true risks of abortion., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To describe patterns of contraceptive method switching and long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) removal in a large network of community health centers., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using individual-level electronic health record data from 489 clinics in 20 states from 2016 to 2021. We used logistic regression models, including individual-, clinic-, and state-level covariates, to calculate adjusted odds ratios and predicted probabilities of any observed contraceptive method switching and LARC removal among those with baseline incident LARC, both over 4-year time periods., Results: Among 151,786 patients with 513,753 contraceptive encounters, 22.1% switched to another method at least once over the 4-year observation period, and switching patterns were varied. In patients with baseline LARC, the adjusted predicted probability of switching was 19.0% (95% CI 18.0-20.0%) compared with patients with baseline moderately effective methods (16.2%, 95% CI 15.1-17.3%). The adjusted predicted probability of switching was highest among the youngest group (28.6%, 95% CI 25.8-31.6% in patients aged 12-14 years) and decreased in a dose-response relationship by age to 8.4% (95% CI 7.4-9.4%) among patients aged 45-49 years. Latina and Black race and ethnicity, public or no insurance, and baseline Title X clinic status were all associated with higher odds of switching at least once. Among baseline LARC users, 19.4% had a removal (to switch or discontinue) within 1 year and 30.1% within 4 years; 97.6% of clinics that provided LARC also had evidence of a removal., Conclusion: Community health centers provide access to method switching and LARC removal. Contraceptive switching and LARC removal are common, and clinicians should normalize switching and LARC removal among patients., Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure Blair G. Darney's institution receives research support from Merck/Organon. Dr. Darney serves on the Board of Directors of the Society of Family Planning. Kate Coleman-Minahan was a consultant for The Lawyering Project. The other authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Purpose: Community health centers (CHCs) provide critical health care access for people who experience high risks during and after pregnancy, however it is unclear to what extent they provide prenatal care. This study seeks to describe clinic and patient characteristics associated with longitudinal prenatal care delivery in CHC settings., Methods: This retrospective cohort study utilized electronic health record (EHR) data from the Accelerating Data Value Across a National Community Health Center Network (ADVANCE) between 2018 to 2019 to describe prenatal care provision among CHCs ( n = 408), and pregnant CHC patients ( n = 28,578) and compared characteristics of patients who received longitudinal prenatal care at CHCs versus those who did not., Results: 41% of CHCs provided longitudinal prenatal care; these CHCs were more likely to be larger, have multidisciplinary teams, and serve higher proportions of nonwhite or non-English speaking patients. Patients who received longitudinal prenatal care at CHCs were racially and ethnically diverse and many had comorbidities. Patients who received longitudinal prenatal care at CHCs (compared with pregnant patients who did not) were more likely to be white or Latinx and more likely to have non-English language preference., Conclusions: Many CHCs in this national network provide prenatal care and serve pregnant patients at high risk of pregnancy-related complications, including people of color, those with low income, and those with comorbidities. CHCs provide critical access to care for vulnerable populations and will be an important partner in work addressing inequities in maternal morbidity and mortality., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: None., (© Copyright by the American Board of Family Medicine.)

Objective: To evaluate prenatal care utilization, low birth weight, and preterm birth among women aged 35 years and older in Mexico from 2008 to 2019., Methods: We conducted a historical cohort study of all singleton live births in Mexico from 2008 to 2019. Outcomes were inadequate prenatal care, preterm birth, and low birth weight. We compared outcomes among women aged 35-39, 40-44, and 45-49 years with births to women aged 20-34 years. We used logistic regression to account for individual, health system, and contextual confounders., Results: We included a total of 19 526 922 births; 2 325 725 (11.9%) were to women aged 35 years and older. Women aged 45-49 years had the lowest levels of education, were more likely to be uninsured, and came from highly marginalized municipalities while those aged 35-39 years had the highest levels of education and insurance and came from the least marginalized municipalities. The odds of inadequate prenatal care (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09-1.15), preterm birth (aOR 2.05; 95% CI 1.97-2.13), and low birth weight (aOR 2.03; 95% CI 1.95-2.12) were highest for women aged 45-49 years, compared with women aged 20-34 years. The odds of adverse perinatal outcomes increased progressively with age, but the odds of inadequate prenatal care (aOR 0.77; 95% CI 0.76-0.77) were lowest for women aged 35-39 years, when compared with women aged 20-34 years., Conclusion: Women who deliver at 35 years and over are a heterogeneous group in Mexico. Being 35 years old and older is associated with increases in preterm birth and low birth weight neonates. Women who give birth between 45 and 49 years may be especially vulnerable., (© 2023 The Authors. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.)

Objective: To assess whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination impacts menstrual bleeding quantity., Design: Retrospective cohort., Setting: Five global regions., Population: Vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals with regular menstrual cycles using the digital fertility-awareness application Natural Cycles°., Methods: We used prospectively collected menstrual cycle data, multivariable longitudinal Poisson generalised estimating equation (GEE) models and multivariable multinomial logistic regression models to calculate the adjusted difference between vaccination groups. All regression models were adjusted for confounding factors., Main Outcome Measures: The mean number of heavy bleeding days (fewer, no change or more) and changes in bleeding quantity (less, no change or more) at three time points (first dose, second dose and post-exposure menses)., Results: We included 9555 individuals (7401 vaccinated and 2154 unvaccinated). About two-thirds of individuals reported no change in the number of heavy bleeding days, regardless of vaccination status. After adjusting for confounding factors, there were no significant differences in the number of heavy bleeding days by vaccination status. A larger proportion of vaccinated individuals experienced an increase in total bleeding quantity (34.5% unvaccinated, 38.4% vaccinated; adjusted difference 4.0%, 99.2% CI 0.7%-7.2%). This translates to an estimated 40 additional people per 1000 individuals with normal menstrual cycles who experience a greater total bleeding quantity following the first vaccine dose' suffice. Differences resolved in the cycle post-exposure., Conclusions: A small increase in the probability of greater total bleeding quantity occurred following the first COVID-19 vaccine dose, which resolved in the cycle after the post-vaccination cycle. The total number of heavy bleeding days did not differ by vaccination status. Our findings can reassure the public that any changes are small and transient., (© 2023 The Authors. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure Blair G. Darney's institution receives research funding from Organon and the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) on which she is PI, and she is a member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Family Planning (SFP) and a Deputy Editor at Contraception . She has received an honorarium from ACOG for committee work. The other authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest.

Purpose: Much reproductive health research on the Latina population overlooks heterogeneity by national origin, nativity, and age and also ignores how U.S.-based populations differ from those in "sending" nations. The purpose of this study is to describe a history of adolescent birth, age at first sex, and contraceptive use at first sex in the Mexican-origin population in both the United States and Mexico., Methods: We developed a binational dataset merging two comparable nationally representative cross-sectional surveys in the United States and Mexico and used covariate balancing propensity scores to balance the age structure of our four samples: U.S.-born Latinas of Mexican origin, foreign-born Latinas of Mexican origin, U.S.-born non-Latina Whites, and Mexican women residing in Mexico. We used a negative binomial regression and calculated the predicted probability of experiencing at least one adolescent birth for each ethnicity/nativity group, stratified by 5-year age group. We also described age and contraceptive use at first sex., Results: Foreign-born Latinas of Mexican origin and Mexicans in Mexico had similar adjusted probabilities of reporting an adolescent birth (30.1% and 29.9%, respectively), which were higher than those of Mexican-Americans (26.2%) and U.S.-born non-Latina Whites (11.6%). History of an adolescent birth is declining across all four groups among younger ages. Differences do not appear to be driven by the timing of first sex but by contraceptive use, which is increasing among younger age groups., Discussion: Access to and use of effective contraception rather than timing of initiation of sexual activity is a key determinant of U.S. Latina and Mexican adolescent births., (Copyright © 2022 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To examine current contraceptive use by parity among four ethnicity and nativity groups: non-Latina White women in the United States, Mexican-American women in the United States, foreign-born women of Mexican origin in the United States, and Mexican women in Mexico., Methods: We combined nationally representative data from sexually active women, aged 15-44 years, and not seeking pregnancy from the U.S. National Survey of Family Growth and the Mexican National Survey of Demographic Dynamics. This is a secondary binational analysis. Using multivariable logistic regression, we estimated the prevalence of moderately or most effective contraceptive method use (compared with least effective or no contraceptive method) by ethnicity and nativity and tested the interaction between ethnicity and nativity and parity., Results: Compared with non-Latina White women, women of Mexican origin had lower odds of using a moderately or most effective contraceptive method (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] [95% CI] Mexican-American women: 0.69 [0.54-0.87]; foreign-born women: 0.67 [0.48-0.95]; Mexican women in Mexico: 0.59 [0.40-0.87]). Among parous women, the adjusted probability of using a moderately or most effective contraceptive method was approximately 65% among all four groups. Contraceptive method use did not differ by parity among non-Latina White women. However, parous Mexican-American women were 1.5 times more likely to use moderately or most effective contraceptive methods than nulliparous Mexican-American women (adjusted probability 66.1% vs 42.7%). Parous foreign-born women were 1.8 times more likely to use most or moderately effective contraceptive methods than their nulliparous counterparts (64.5% vs 36.0%), and parous Mexican women in Mexico were three times more likely to use moderately or most effective contraceptive methods (65.2% vs 21.5%)., Conclusion: Findings suggest that access to effective contraception is limited outside the context of childbearing for women of Mexican origin in the United States and, to an even larger extent, in Mexico., Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure Blair G. Darney's institution receives funding from Organon for projects on which she is the Principal Investigator. She is a co-investigator on an NIH R01 and AHRQ R01 and serves on the Board of Directors of the Society of Family Planning (SFP) (unpaid) and the Board of CISIDAT (Health Research Consortium), Mexico (unpaid). The other authors did not report any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Importance: Unintended pregnancy is common in the US and is associated with adverse maternal and infant health outcomes; however, estimates of these associations specific to current US populations are lacking., Objective: To evaluate associations of unintended pregnancy with maternal and infant health outcomes during pregnancy and post partum with studies relevant to current clinical practice and public health in the US., Data Sources: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Systematic Reviews, PsycINFO, SocINDEX, and MEDLINE databases (January 1, 2000, to June 15, 2022) and manual review of reference lists., Study Selection: Epidemiologic studies relevant to US populations that compared key maternal and infant health outcomes for unintended vs intended pregnancies and met prespecified eligibility criteria were included after investigators' independent dual review of abstracts and full-text articles., Data Extraction and Synthesis: Investigators abstracted data from publications on study methods, participant characteristics, settings, pregnancy intention, comparators, confounders, and outcomes; data were validated by a second investigator. Risk of bias was independently dual rated by investigators using criteria developed by the US Preventive Services Task Force. Results of studies controlling for confounders were combined by using a profile likelihood random-effects model., Main Outcomes and Measures: Prenatal depression, postpartum depression, maternal experience of interpersonal violence, preterm birth, and infant low birth weight., Results: Thirty-six studies (N = 524 522 participants) were included (14 cohort studies rated good or fair quality; 22 cross-sectional studies); 12 studies used large population-based data sources. Compared with intended pregnancy, unintended pregnancy was significantly associated with higher odds of depression during pregnancy (23.3% vs 13.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.59 [95% CI, 1.35-1.92]; I2 = 85.0%; 15 studies [n = 41 054]) and post partum (15.7% vs 9.6%; aOR, 1.51 [95% CI, 1.40-1.70]; I2 = 7.1%; 10 studies [n = 82 673]), interpersonal violence (14.6% vs 5.5%; aOR, 2.22 [95% CI, 1.41-2.91]; I2 = 64.1%; 5 studies [n = 42 306]), preterm birth (9.4% vs 7.7%; aOR, 1.21 [95% CI, 1.12-1.31]; I2 = 1.7%; 10 studies [n = 94 351]), and infant low birth weight (7.3% vs 5.2%; aOR, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.02-1.21]; I2 = 0.0%; 8 studies [n = 87 547]). Results were similar in sensitivity analyses based on controlling for history of depression for prenatal and postpartum depression and on study design and definition of unintended pregnancy for relevant outcomes. Studies provided limited sociodemographic data and measurement of confounders and outcomes varied., Conclusions and Relevance: In this systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiologic observational studies relevant to US populations, unintended pregnancy, compared with intended pregnancy, was significantly associated with adverse maternal and infant outcomes., Trial Registration: PROSPERO Identifier: CRD42020192981.

Objective: To describe receipt of person-centered contraceptive counseling among reproductive-aged women in the United States who sought contraceptive care at Title X clinics, non-Title X public clinics, and private clinics., Study Design: We conducted a secondary analysis of the 2017-2019 wave of the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). The sample included female respondents ages 15-49 who received contraceptive services in the past year and completed the Person-Centered Contraceptive Counseling (PCCC) measure, a quality metric evaluating interpersonal quality of the care received. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate the predicted probability of receiving person-centered contraceptive counseling by source of care, adjusted for individual-level characteristics., Results: Of 2225 (weighted n = 26,599,620) eligible respondents, 6.9% received care at a Title X clinic, 8.2% at a non-Title X public clinic, and 84.9% at a private clinic. The adjusted predicted probability of receiving person-centered contraceptive counseling among respondents attending private clinics was 50.6% (95% CI 46.3%-54.8%) compared with 51.3% (95% CI 40.4%-62.3%) at Title X clinics and 52.4% (95% CI 44.0%-60.7%) at other public clinics. Respondents with incomes ≥300% above the federal poverty level (FPL) had higher odds of reporting receipt of person-centered counseling compared to those with incomes below 100% of the FPL (aOR = 2.12; 95% CI 1.47-3.06). Non-Latina Black respondents had lower odds of receiving person-centered contraceptive counseling (aOR = 0.69; 95% CI 0.51-0.94), compared to non-Latina white respondents., Conclusion: Title X clinics perform as well as the private sector in delivering person-centered contraceptive counseling., Implications: Title X clinics provide quality person-centered contraceptive counseling on par with the private sector, despite serving populations that are often less likely to report high quality care. Broad implementation of the PCCC measure will permit tracking person-centered contraceptive care across diverse practice settings and populations., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: This study aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of technology-based decision aids on contraceptive use, continuation, and patient-reported and decision-making outcomes., Data Sources: A systematic search was conducted in OVID MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, and SocINDEX databases from January 2005 to April 2022. Eligible references from a concurrent systematic review evaluating contraceptive care were also included for review., Study Eligibility Criteria: Studies were included if a contraceptive decision aid was technology-based (ie, mobile/tablet application, web, or computer-based) and assessed contraceptive use and/or continuation or patient-reported outcomes (knowledge, self-efficacy, feasibility/acceptability/usability, decisional conflict). The protocol was registered under the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (CRD42021240755)., Methods: Three reviewers independently performed data abstraction and quality appraisal. Dichotomous outcomes (use and continuation) were evaluated with an odds ratio, whereas continuous outcomes (knowledge and self-efficacy) were evaluated with the mean difference. Subgroup analyses were performed for the mode of delivery (mobile and tablet applications vs web and computer-based) and follow-up time (immediate vs >1 month)., Results: This review included 18 studies evaluating 21 decision aids. Overall, there were higher odds of contraceptive use and/or continuation among decision aid users compared with controls (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, [1.05-1.55]). Use of computer and web-based decision aids was associated with higher odds of contraceptive use and/or continuation (odds ratio, 1.36; 95% confidence interval, [1.08-1.72]) than mobile and tablet decision aids (odds ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, [0.83-1.94]). Decision aid users also had statistically significant higher self-efficacy scores (mean difference, 0.09; 95% confidence interval, [0.05-0.13]), and knowledge scores (mean difference, 0.04; 95% confidence interval, [0.01-0.07]), with immediate measurement of knowledge having higher retention than measurement after 1 month. Other outcomes were evaluated descriptively (eg, feasibility, applicability, decisional conflict) but had little evidence to support a definite conclusion. Overall, the review provided moderate-level evidence for contraceptive use and continuation, knowledge, and self-efficacy., Conclusion: The use of technology-based contraceptive decision aids to support contraceptive decision-making has positive effects on contraceptive use and continuation, knowledge, and self-efficacy. There was insufficient evidence to support a conclusion about effects on other decision-making outcomes., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Lack of racial and ethnic diversity in health research negatively impacts generalizability. We describe Mexican and Mexican American women's willingness to participate in health research in Oregon., Methods: We conducted a survey with Mexican-origin Latinas aged 18-49 years. Our primary outcome was willingness to participate in health research; we also asked sociodemographics and barriers and facilitators to participation. We used logistic regression to identify factors associated with willingness to participate., Results: Of 500 participants, 41% said that they would be willing to participate in health research, 14% said no, and 45% were unsure. In multivariable analyses, past participation in research and speaking English well were independently associated with willingness to participate. Barriers to participation included language, accessibility, and fear of medical procedures. Facilitators included improving future health care, language, and free medical care., Conclusions: Mexican-origin Latinas in Oregon are willing to participate in health research, but many are unsure. Providing study materials in Spanish is a concrete first step to improve recruitment and promote equity and inclusion., Competing Interests: All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or nonfinancial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this article., (© Yareli Cornejo-Torres et al., 2022; Published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.)

Objective: To determine whether the timing of placement of long acting, reversible contraception (LARC) methods postpartum (immediate postpartum (IPP) or interval (within 6 months postpartum) is associated with higher removal rates by 12 months postpartum., Study Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using linked Medicaid claims and birth certificate data (n = 313,849) from Oregon and South Carolina from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2018. Our primary outcome was LARC (intrauterine device (IUD) or implant) removal by 12 months postpartum. We compared crude proportions and rates of removal and used a multivariable survival analysis to compare removal over 12 months between IPP and interval LARC placement controlling for sociodemographic and clinical factors and clustered at the woman level., Results: Our sample included 313,849 births to 247,884 women; a majority did not receive any postpartum contraception (207,058 [66.0%]). Out of the 54,018 (17.2%) of births followed by an immediate postpartum or interval LARC placement, 11.8% discontinued by 12 months. In multivariable analyses, births followed by IPP LARC were 10% more likely to experience discontinuation at any point up to 12 months compared with interval LARC (HR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00-1.22), but this was not statistically significant., Conclusion: IPP LARC devices are removed at similar rates as LARC placed within 6 months postpartum., Implications: Timing of postpartum long acting reversible contraception- interval or immediately postpartum- was not associated with 12 month removal rates., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Little is known about severe maternal morbidity (SMM) among women with disabilities., Objective: We assessed differences in SMM and other perinatal complications by presence and type of disability. We hypothesised that SMM and other complications would be more common in births to women with disabilities than to women without disabilities., Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of California births from 2000 to 2012, using birth and death certificate data linked with hospital discharge data. We included singleton deliveries with gestational age of 23-42 weeks. We classified women as having any disability or not and identified disability type (physical, hearing, vision, intellectual/developmental disabilities [IDD]). Our primary outcome was a composite indicator of SMM. Secondary outcomes included additional perinatal complications: gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, venous thromboembolism, chorioamnionitis, puerperal endometritis and mental health disorders complicating pregnancy, childbirth or the puerperium. We used modified Poisson regression to obtain covariate-adjusted relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association of disability status and type with SMM and secondary outcomes., Results: Of 5,787,090 deliveries, 33,044 (0.6%) were to women with disabilities. Of these, 311 per 10,000 were complicated by SMM, compared with 84 per 10,000 deliveries to women without disabilities. In multivariable analyses, risk of SMM for births to women with disabilities was nearly three times that for women without disabilities (RR 2.84, 95% CI 2.67, 3.02). Proportion and risk of SMM were greatest for vision disability (793 per 10,000; RR 4.04, 95% CI 3.41, 4.78). Secondary outcomes were also more common among women with disabilities. In particular, more than a third of births to women with IDD (37.4%) were complicated by mental health disorders (versus 2.2% for women without disabilities)., Conclusion: As hypothesised, SMM and other perinatal complications were more common among women with disabilities than among women without disabilities., (© 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: To determine whether the type (intrauterine device or implant) or timing (immediately postpartum vs interval) of postpartum long-acting reversible contraception was associated with a reduction in short interpregnancy interval births., Study Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using linked Medicaid claims and birth certificate data from Oregon and South Carolina, 2010 to 2018. Our primary outcome was short interpregnancy interval, defined as repeat pregnancy within 18 months of the index delivery. We determined postpartum contraceptive method and timing of receipt. To assess the association of timing of long acting reversible contraception with short interpregnancy interval, we calculated adjusted probabilities from a logistic regression model incorporating covariate balanced propensity score weights, sociodemographic factors, and clustered at the woman-level., Results: Our study sample included 121,422 births to 97,084 individuals who had more than 1 birth during the study period; 41% had a short interpregnancy interval. A majority of individuals had not received any contraception by 6 months postpartum (68.6%). Overall, 15,477 individuals used long acting reversible contraception postpartum, with the majority receiving interval rather than immediate postpartum long acting reversible contraception (92.9% vs 7.1%). In multivariable analyses, both immediate postpartum (23.0%, 95% CI: 20.5%-25.8%) and interval long acting reversible contraception (15.2%, 95% CI: 14.4%-16.1%) are associated with a lower probability of short interpregnancy interval than short acting methods (42.1%, 95% CI: 41.2%-43.0%)., Conclusion: Compared to short-acting methods, receipt of both immediate postpartum and interval long-acting reversible contraception is associated with lower probabilities of a subsequent short interpregnancy interval., Implications: All long acting, reversible contraception, whether placed immediately postpartum or on an interval basis, was associated with a significantly lower probability of a short interpregnancy interval than short acting or no contraceptive method., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Rodriguez's institution has received research funding from NIH, Arnold Ventures, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Merck on grants for which she is the principal investigator. She has served as a contraceptive trainer for ACOG (current), Bayer (current), and Merck (relationship ended). Dr. Darney's institution receives research funding from the Office of Population (OPA) Affairs and Merck. These potential conflicts of interest are managed by OHSU's IRB. All other authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Diverse models of self-managed medication abortion exist-ranging from some interaction with medical personnel to completely autonomous abortion. In this commentary, we propose a new classification of self-managed medication abortion and describe the different modalities. We highlight autonomous abortion accompanied by feminist activists, called "acompañantes," as a community- and rights-based strategy that can be a safe alternative to clinical abortion services in clandestine as well as legal settings. To improve access, abortion needs to be decriminalized and governments must acknowledge and facilitate the diversity of safe abortion options so women may choose where, when, how, and with whom to abort., (© 2022 The Population Council, Inc.)

Objectives. To describe patterns of providing moderately effective versus the most effective contraception and of providing implants versus intrauterine devices in US community health centers. Methods. We conducted a historical cohort study (2017-2019). Outcomes were woman-level receipt of most effective contraception (long-acting reversible contraception; implants and intrauterine devices) or moderately effective contraception. We used logistic regression to identify patient and clinic factors associated with providing (1) most versus moderately effective methods, and (2) implants versus intrauterine devices. We calculated adjusted probabilities for both outcomes by age group. Results. We included 199 652 events of providing contraception to 114 280 women in 410 community health centers. Adjusted probabilities were similar across age groups for moderately versus most effective methods. However, the adjusted marginal means for receiving an implant compared with an intrauterine device were highest for adolescents (15-17 years: 78.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) = 75.6%, 80.6%]; 18-19 years: 69.5% [95% CI = 66.7%, 72.3%]). Women's health specialists were more likely to provide most versus moderately effective contraception. Conclusions. Community health centers are an important access point for most effective contraception for women of all ages. Adolescents are more likely to use implants than intrauterine devices. ( Am J Public Health . 2022;112(S5):S555-S562. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2022.306913).

Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure Alison Edelman reports honoraria and travel reimbursement from ACOG, WHO, and Gynuity for committee activities and honoraria for peer review from the Karolinska Institute. Alison Edelman receives royalties from UpToDate, Inc. Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) receives research funding from OHSU Foundation, Merck, HRA Pharma, and NIH for which Alison Edelman is the principal investigator. Blair G. Darney reports honoraria and travel reimbursement from ACOG and SFP for board, committee, and mentorship activities. OHSU receives research funding from Merck/Organon and OPA/DHHS for which Blair G. Darney is the principal investigator. Emily R. Boniface did not report any potential conflicts of interest.

The study aimed to identify the most frequent barriers in access to abortions in both clandestine and legal clinical contexts, from the perspective of accompanying persons, namely feminist activists who accompanied women that opted for voluntary abortions with medication. We performed 14 semi-structured interviews with accompanying persons in three regions of Mexico: Baja California and Chiapas, both of which are restrictive contexts, and Mexico City, where elective abortion is legal up to 12 weeks' gestational age. We identified four categories in which the social vulnerabilities of women who elect to undergo abortion intersect, namely lack of information, persistence of stigma, influence of the legal framework, and flaws in abortion care, including in clinics for legal termination of pregnancy (in Mexico City), and poor quality of the services provided, with verbal abuse, conscientious objection, and healthcare provider complaints, and finally the antichoice groups and their strategies. In the three regions, access to abortion clinics is still a privilege reserved for women with the necessary economic, logistic, and socials resources for the procedure in these settings. The existence of a program for legal termination of pregnancy (Interrupción Legal de Embarazo) in only one entity reveals the existence of a legal and health inequality. The study's findings on accompanying persons for women undergoing abortions provide backing for the Mexican government to improve access to safe abortions for all women, especially now that the country's Supreme Court has decreed the procedure's decriminalization and its imminent nationwide legalization.

Objective: To assess whether coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is associated with changes in cycle or menses length in those receiving vaccination as compared with an unvaccinated cohort., Methods: We analyzed prospectively tracked menstrual cycle data using the application "Natural Cycles." We included U.S. residents aged 18-45 years with normal cycle lengths (24-38 days) for three consecutive cycles before the first vaccine dose followed by vaccine-dose cycles (cycles 4-6) or, if unvaccinated, six cycles over a similar time period. We calculated the mean within-individual change in cycle and menses length (three prevaccine cycles vs first- and second-dose cycles in the vaccinated cohort, and the first three cycles vs cycles four and five in the unvaccinated cohort). We used mixed-effects models to estimate the adjusted difference in change in cycle and menses length between the vaccinated and unvaccinated cohorts., Results: We included 3,959 individuals (vaccinated 2,403; unvaccinated 1,556). Most of the vaccinated cohort received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (55%) (Moderna 35%, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen 7%). Overall, COVID-19 vaccine was associated with a less than 1-day change in cycle length for both vaccine-dose cycles compared with prevaccine cycles (first dose 0.71 day-increase, 98.75% CI 0.47-0.94; second dose 0.91, 98.75% CI 0.63-1.19); unvaccinated individuals saw no significant change compared with three baseline cycles (cycle four 0.07, 98.75% CI -0.22 to 0.35; cycle five 0.12, 98.75% CI -0.15 to 0.39). In adjusted models, the difference in change in cycle length between the vaccinated and unvaccinated cohorts was less than 1 day for both doses (difference in change: first dose 0.64 days, 98.75% CI 0.27-1.01; second dose 0.79 days, 98.75% CI 0.40-1.18). Change in menses length was not associated with vaccination., Conclusion: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination is associated with a small change in cycle length but not menses length., Competing Interests: Financial Disclosure Alison Edelman reports honoraria and travel reimbursement from ACOG, WHO, and Gynuity for committee activities and honoraria for peer review from the Karolinska Institute. Alison Edelman receives royalties from UpToDate, Inc. Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) receives research funding from OHSU Foundation, Merck, HRA Pharma, and NIH for which Alison Edelman is the principal investigator. Blair G. Darney reports honoraria and travel reimbursement from ACOG and SFP for board, committee, and mentorship activities. OHSU receives research funding from Merck/Organon and OPA/DHHS for which Blair G. Darney is the principal investigator. OHSU receives research funding from OHSU foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ABOG, ASRM and the NIH for which Leo Han is the principal investigator. Eleonora Benhar, Carlotta Favaro, and Jack T. Pearson are employees of Natural Cycles. Kristen A. Matteson reports honoraria and travel reimbursement from ABOG and travel reimbursement from ACOG. Women & Infants Hospital received funding from Myovant for consulting work done by Kristen A. Matteson on outcomes measures for heavy menstrual bleeding. Emily R. Boniface did not report any potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)