Back in April the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education–the organization that sets the training standards and accredits all residency training programs in the United States–updated the training standards for Family Medicine. Instead of making the training requirements in women’s health stronger, they weakened them! Training in contraception was no longer required. In fact, family…
The concept of cervical barriers has been around for a long, long time. Some of these (pretty creative) objects have included partially squeezed lemon halves, oiled paper disks, algae and seaweed, sponges, and even balls of opium, just to name a few. However, the first official cervical barrier was invented by German gynecologist Friedrich Wilde,…
We’ve just released two new birth control fact sheets covering Natural Family Planning and Permanent Birth Control (Sterilization). The Natural Family Planning (NFP) fact sheet lays out seven common methods of natural family planning, and compares them by efficacy. The sheet explains how each NFP method works and lists common pros and cons. The Permanent Birth Control…
Nexplanon/Implanon is a type of birth control that lasts three years and is over 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. A health care professional inserts the implant in your arm, and it is thin plastic rod that releases progestin. Over the 30 years since the implant was introduced, it has gone through many phases and several…
Apparently IUD users love their IUD so much they can’t help themselves from spreading the word about how great a contraceptive option it is. New York Magazine is calling this phenomena “IUD Evangelism.” Why is getting an IUD an almost spiritual experience? “..learning about the IUD is like discovering that some benevolent God has been listening to…
Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Reproductive Health Access Project friend and supporter, Mary Joan Murphy, recently published an article blasting common contraception myths in Advance for Nurses. The article was written with help from RHAP’s education director Dr. Ruth Lesnewski and RHAP’s board president Barbara Kancelbaum. In the article, Mary Joan highlights the role nurses can…
I’m a single, white, sexually-active young woman with no significant medical history and I want an intrauterine device (IUD). Yet after four months of trying to get an IUD, I still have an empty uterus. At the end of my last visit to the doctor, I turned to my friend exasperated and exclaimed, “Why does…
Every month, the Reproductive Health Access Project writes and sends the Contraceptive Pearls, an evidence-based e-publication containing clinically up-to-date contraceptive information, to thousands of clinicians across the country. These monthly emails cover a wide range of clinical topics such as Non-Prescription Birth Control Methods, IUDs for Teens, and Fertility Following IUD Use. (Access the full…
This week I saw my third patient with an unintended pregnancy as a result of New York State’s new Medicaid formularies. New York State recently gave over its widespread coverage of medications for Medicaid recipients to the managed care Medicaid plans, allowing their more restrictive formularies to decide which medications are covered, which aren’t, and…
Look what Natasha Miller, an awesome HealthCorps worker, created for us! It’s a great tool that lays out in an easy to read way everything you ever wanted to know about Emergency Contraception. Emergency Contraception Clinician Guide This chart was featured in this month’s edition of the Contraceptive Pearls, our monthly e-publication that promotes clinical…