Insights: Ensuring Effective Communication for Disabled Patients

Written by Jillian MacLeod Effective communication is essential for building trust with patients, supporting decision-making capacity, and providing quality medical care–including abortion care. For patients with disabilities that affect communication, it can be the difference between access to quality abortion care and complete denial of care. People with communication disabilities are much more likely to…

Reproductive Health Care and Advocacy Fellowship

The Reproductive Health Care and Advocacy Fellowship is a year-long intensive clinical training program that develops a diverse community of family medicine leaders to provide, teach, and advocate for access to equitable and person-centered reproductive health care, especially within primary care. We envision a vibrant and diverse community of clinical leaders and change-makers with the…

Insights: RHAP Clinical Update: Management of Pregnancy of Unknown Location

Written by Tulsi Patel, MD There is a consensus among the Society of Family Planning (SFP), National Abortion Federation (NAF), and Planned Parenthood that immediate treatment of pregnancy of unknown location (PUL) decreases the time to diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy and allows for earlier pregnancy resolution.1-2 Immediate treatment (or active management) refers to pursuing medication…

Insights: Anemia Considerations in Procedural and Medication Abortion Care

Written by Jessica Mitter Pardo, DO, M.Sc. Anemia is a common condition among people seeking abortion care and can influence clinical decision-making, monitoring, and management strategies. While neither procedural nor medication abortion has an absolute contraindication based solely on anemia, understanding how hemoglobin levels intersect with bleeding risk and recovery is essential for high-quality care…

Insights: Post-Abortion Follow-Up: What Is Essential vs Optional

Written by Carolina I. Burgos-Pagan, MD Post-abortion follow-up care is an important component of high-quality abortion services; however, routine in-person follow-up is not medically required for most patients after uncomplicated medication or procedural abortion. Guidance from ACOG, AAFP, WHO, the National Abortion Federation (NAF), and the Society of Family Planning (SFP) emphasizes that follow-up should…

Insights: Acetaminophen and Autism Risk in Pregnancy

Written by Alissa Akselrod PharmD Candidate 2025 and Regina Ginzburg Pharm.D., CDCES, BC-ADM In September 2025, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning about the potential link between the use of acetaminophen during pregnancy and the development of autism.1 However, the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Academy of…

Insights: Pain Control for Uterine Aspiration

Written by Julia Ellis-Kahana, MD and Mollie Nisen, MD Effective management of pain during uterine aspiration is critical for patient autonomy, satisfaction and safety.1 A patient’s experience of pain is influenced by a combination of distinct physical, emotional, and social factors. Therefore, a multimodal approach, guided by shared-decision making, and incorporating both nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic…

Insights: Opioid Use in Pregnancy and Preconception

Written by Evan Fu, PharmD Candidate 2025, and Regina Ginzburg, Pharm.D., CDCES, BC-ADM Opioid use has increased dramatically over the last two decades, including among people of reproductive age. The number of pregnant people with opioid use disorder (OUD) presenting to the hospital at labor and delivery quadrupled between 1999 and 2014.1 A recent data analysis…

Insights: Benzodiazepine Use in Pregnancy and Lactation

Written by Crystal Lai, PharmD Candidate 2025 & Regina Ginzburg, Pharm.D., CDCES, BC-ADM Benzodiazepines are a class of medications indicated for generalized anxiety disorder, seizures, and insomnia. These drugs end in “lam or pam,” such as alprazolam, lorazepam, diazepam, or clonazepam.1 Despite their potential to cause serious adverse effects and potential for abuse, 5% of people…

Insights: Catheter for Uterine Suction (FOCUS) for Severe Post-Abortion Hemorrhage

Written by Sophie Renaud MD, Frank Jackson DO Severe hemorrhage remains one of the most life-threatening complications after miscarriage and abortion, yet treatment options beyond uterotonics and hysterectomy are limited. The Jada device is currently the only approved vacuum device for uterine hemorrhage, but it was only studied for use in immediate postpartum hemorrhage in…