Contraceptive Technology Update – September 1, 2023
September 1, 2023
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Caregivers of Foster Youth Play Role in Contraceptive Decisions
Foster youth are vulnerable and at high risk of pregnancy. Reproductive health providers need to work with the youth and their caregivers to build a trusting relationship when discussing contraception.
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What Is Next for the First OTC Birth Control Pill Approved by the FDA?
It took contraceptive care advocates more than two decades, but they achieved success on July 13, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Opill, the first over-the-counter hormonal birth control pill, for use in the United States.
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People Can Safely Self-Manage Medication Abortion After 10 Weeks
Abortion care for women in their late first trimester and second trimester of pregnancy has been abolished in some states — even when the patient’s health or life is at risk during a miscarriage or other pregnancy crisis. As increasing numbers of people turn to self-managed abortion for ending their pregnancies, this option has not been seen as an alternative for U.S. women who are more than 10 weeks pregnant — until now.
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Study Finds Increased Risk of Depression with Use of Oral Contraceptives
A population-based cohort study with data for more than 260,000 women revealed oral contraception use can increase the risk of depression, particularly during the first two years of its use. For adolescents, its use can increase later-in-life risk of depression, as well. Investigators said their results were consistent with a causal relationship between oral contraceptive use and depression.
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It May Be Ethical for Providers to Refuse to Comply with Abortion Laws
What should providers do when state law conflicts with their ethical duty to preserve the health and life of a patient? Each provider and healthcare organization has been left to interpret their states’ laws with little guidance and precedence. Some hospitals are sued for not providing care when a pregnant patient’s life was in danger. In other cases, physicians are required to visit their employer’s legal office for permission to save patients’ health and lives. The authors of a new paper defend physician noncompliance with anti-abortion legislation, arguing physicians’ obligations to comply with the law are defeated when the law is illegitimate.
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Patients Desire Telemedicine for Abortion Care
New research confirms previous studies in demonstrating the safety and efficacy of medication abortion pills. Studies also show there is strong desire for this option among people seeking an end to their pregnancy.
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STI Epidemic Continues to Escalate in United States, CDC Data Show
Syphilis rates surged in 2021, increasing by nearly one-third, and gonorrhea rates and chlamydia rates increased by close to 4%, according to the latest data on sexually transmitted infections.
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Clinicians Appear to Under-Screen, Under-Treat Patients with STIs
Insurance claims data from tens of millions of outpatient cases of patients seeking treatment for lower genitourinary tract symptoms revealed testing for sexually transmitted infections occurred in only 17.6% of all episodes.
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Alabama Sees Surge in Congenital Syphilis Cases and Issues Health Alert
A decade ago, Alabama saw only a few annual cases of congenital syphilis. But now the cases are spiking to record levels, including 42 cases in 2022, and possibly even more in 2023. This alarming trend caused the Alabama Department of Public Health to issue a health alert network message to providers and the public on July 18.