New study from Eliza Dolgins, Lindsay Parham, Karen Weidart, Emma Anderson, Coye Cheshire, Ndola Prata, and Elizabeth Pleasants analyzes comments from Reddit’s r/abortion after the Dobbs decision to map “behavioral innovations” people use to access care. Themes include strategies for in-clinic care, self-managed abortion, travel and funding navigation, privacy, and emotional support. The findings highlight r/abortion as a peer-driven hub for practical guidance amid a changing legal and policy landscape.
Read the full study here.
New study from Karen Weidart, Elizabeth Pleasants, Lindsay Parham, Eliza Dolgins, Emma Anderson, and Ndola Prata analyzes posts from Reddit’s r/abortion after the Dobbs decision to understand self-managed abortion experiences. Thematic findings include concerns about ordering and receiving medications, questions about the medication process and completion, and widespread use of the subreddit for information sharing and emotional support.
Read the full study here.
New study from MariaDelSol De Ornelas, Kim Harley, Danielle Davis, Anna Gruver, Dana Cruz Santana, Krista Hayes, Martha Tesfalul, and Jyesha Wren introduces Beloved Birth Black Centering, a model of whole-person perinatal care created by and for Black people in Alameda County, California. The study highlights how this antiracist, community-centered approach bundles midwifery-led group care, racially-concordant care, wrap-around support, childbirth education, and doula services to transform Black perinatal experiences and outcomes.
Read the full study here.
New study from Lindsay Parham, Renee Clarke, MariaDelSol De Ornelas, Sabrina Li, and Sylvia Guendelman highlights payors’ and purchasers’ perspectives on postpartum care in California. The findings reveal barriers such as limited coverage, lack of provider incentives, and reimbursement concerns. The study also identifies opportunities to improve care through alternative payment models, extended visit schedules, and stronger continuity of care.
Read the full study here.
New study from Elizabeth Pleasants, Lindsay Parham, Karen Weidert, Emma Anderson, Eliza Dolgins, Ndola Prata, Cassondra Marshall, Coye Cheshire, and Ushma Upadhyay highlights how social support has been shown to significantly influence both access to and experiences with abortion and the role of r/abortion as a crucial resource.
Read the full study here.
New study from Hannah Hecht, Angela-Maithy Nguyen, and Kim Harley found that unpaid maternity leave is associated with a 40% increased risk of postpartum depressive symptoms compared to paid leave, highlighting the importance of paid leave policies for maternal mental health.
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New study from Cassondra Marshall, Ashley Nguyen, Clara E. Yang, and Anu Manchikanti Gómez dives into the opportunities and challenges of implementing Medi-Cal coverage for doulas, focusing on the perspectives of managed care plans and risk-bearing organizations.
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New study from Sylvia Guendelman, Serena Xinzi Wang, Maureen Lahiff, Lawrence Lurvey, and Hayley E Miller explores how clinicians in California manage essential postpartum care, highlighting top priorities and uncovering gaps in addressing social factors. With Medi-Cal's extended postpartum coverage, this research sheds light on what's working—and what still needs improvement.
Read the full study here.
New study from Nika Darvish, Anu Manchikanti Gómez, Cassondra Marshall, Raichal McDonald, LaToshia Rouse, Lauren Dinsmore, Hannah Hecht, Ruth Berhanu, Grace Rajan and Jaspal Sandhu explores the future of maternal healthcare through the eyes of community doulas. This new study dives into how doulas are envisioning innovative solutions to improve the perinatal experiences and health outcomes of birthing people of color in the U.S.
Read the full study here.
New study from Dr. Betsy Pleasants, Dr. Lindsay Parham, Karen Weidert, Emma Anderson, Eliza Dolgins, Dr. Ndola Prata, Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, and Dr. Cassondra Marshall shows that lack of appointment availability and waiting for mailed medications were commonly described as causing delays. The wait time for medication abortion ranged from one day to three weeks, while the waiting period for procedural abortion was longer at one day to one month.
Read the full study here.
New study from Betsy Pleasants, Julia Ryan, Dr. Cassondra Marshall, and Dr. Ndola Prata finds people commonly wrote about contraceptive side effects and experiences using methods on r/birthcontrol, highlighting the value of r/birthcontrol as a space to post about aspects of contraceptive use that are not well addressed by clinical contraceptive counseling.
Read the full study here.
New study from the Wallace Center's Dr. Kim Harley finds that even perfectly implemented universal postpartum screening will miss a vulnerable sector of the population that is at high risk for postpartum depression and is less likely to return for postpartum care.
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This study found that providers perceived doulas to bridge gaps in care for pregnant and birthing people by providing services, such as continuous labor support, that are not realistic for clinicians to provide.
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The new study reflected the importance of offering appointment options that match patient preferences, especially populations that face barriers in access to care, and to explore ways to personalize care and support positive patient-provider relationships.
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A new study finds observed associations of glyphosate or AMPA exposure during childhood with liver inflammation and metabolic syndrome at young adulthood and agricultural glyphosate use during the prenatal period and/or childhood (from birth to age 5 years old) was associated with metabolic syndrome at 18 years old.
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Available research suggests that patients with diabetes do not regularly receive preconception counseling, but information on patients’ experiences of counseling is scant. The new study conducted a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with 22 patients.
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A new study from Dr. Sylvia Guendelman looks at use of telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic among practicing maternal-fetal medicine clinicians. The new study highlighted the limited existing knowledge about the drivers of telehealth use among obstetricians during COVID-19 in the United States.
You can find the full study here.
The study found that people living 50 or more miles from an abortion facility were more likely to be pregnant four weeks later. This study suggests that travel distance to a safe and effective abortion may be an important barrier to abortion access for people in the U.S.