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Objective: There is high unmet need for family planning in the postpartum period in Nepal. The current study assessed the effects of a contraceptive counseling and postpartum intrauterine device (PPIUD) insertion intervention on use of contraception in the postpartum period., Study Design: We utilized a cluster, stepped-wedge design to randomly assign two hospital clusters (compromised of six hospitals) to begin the intervention at time one or time two. From 2015 to 2017, women completed surveys after delivery but before discharge (n = 75,893), and then at one year and two years postpartum. We estimated the intent-to-treat effect of the intervention using weighted, linear probability models and the adherence-adjusted effect (antenatal counseling) using an instrumental variable approach. Outcomes included modern contraceptive use and method mix measured at one and two years postpartum in a sample of 19,298 women (year I follow-up sample) and a sample of 19,248 women (year II follow-up sample). We used inverse probability weights to adjust for incomplete follow-up and bootstrap methods to give correct causal inference with the small number of six clusters., Results: The intervention increased use of modern contraceptives by 3.8 percentage points [95% CI: -0.1, 9.5] at one-year postpartum, but only 0.3 percentage points [95% CI: -3.7, 4.1] at two years. The intervention significantly increased the use of PPIUDs at one year and two years postpartum, but there was less use of sterilization. Only 42% of women were counseled during the intervention period. The adherence-adjusted effects (antenatal counseling) were four times larger than the intent-to-treat effects., Conclusions: Providing counseling during the antenatal period and PPIUD services in hospitals increased use of PPIUDs in the one- and two-year postpartum period and shifted the contraceptive method mix., Implications: In order for antenatal counseling to increase postpartum contraceptive use, counseling may need to be provided in a wider range of prenatal care settings and at multiple time points. Healthcare providers should be trained on contraceptive counseling and PPIUD insertion, with the goal of expanding the available method mix and meeting postpartum women's contraceptive needs., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate whether conducting a bimanual examination prior to medication abortion (MAB) provision results in meaningful changes in gestational age (GA) assessment after patient-reported last menstrual period (LMP) in Nepal., Study Design: Women ages 16-45 (n=660) seeking MAB at twelve participating pharmacies and government health facilities, between October 2014 and September 2015, self-reported LMP. Trained auxiliary nurse midwives assessed GA using a bimanual exam after recording LMP. We compared GA assessments as measured via patient-reported LMP alone versus via LMP plus bimanual exam., Results: Overall, 660 women (326 at pharmacies, 334 at health facilities) presented for MAB, and 95% were able to provide an LMP. Overall agreement between LMP alone and LMP with bimanual exam was 99.3%. If LMP alone had been used without bimanual exam, fewer than one in 200 women would have been given MAB beyond the legal gestational limit. Among the three women who were ≤63 days by LMP but >63 days by bimanual exam, only one would have received MAB beyond 70 days gestation. Fewer than one in 600 women would not have received MAB care when eligible by adding a bimanual exam., Conclusion: There was high agreement between LMP alone and LMP plus bimanual exam. Routine bimanual exam may not be essential for safe and effective MAB care for women who are able to report an LMP. Removing the bimanual exam requirement could decrease barriers to provision outside of currently approved clinical settings and allow for expanded abortion access through provision by providers without bimanual exam training or facilities., Implications: Routine bimanual exams may not be essential for safe medication abortion provision by trained clinicians in pharmacies and health facilities in low resource settings like Nepal., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To examine the treatment efficacy, safety and satisfaction of women using medical abortion (MA) pills provided by pharmacists following an education intervention based on a harm reduction approach., Study Design: This was an operations research study over a six-month period in 2015, using a non-inferiority design. We provided training to dispense MA pills, based on a harm reduction approach, to a group of pharmacy workers in Makwanpur district (GROUP 2). We compared selected outcomes with women who bought the pills from pharmacy workers in Chitwan district (GROUP 1), who had received similar training in 2010. The primary endpoint measured in 992 women in both districts was complete abortion within 30 days of using the pills. We assessed the efficacy of MA (self-reported complete abortion) and safety (no reported adverse event). To determine complete abortion, we asked women about passage of the products of conception, cessation of abdominal cramps, vaginal bleeding, need for manual vacuum aspiration or repeated doses of misoprostol. We used a four-point Lickert Scale to determine level of satisfaction with MA use. Pearson Chi-Square test was used to examine any differences in proportion of complete abortions between women who were served by the two groups of pharmacy workers., Results: The difference in the rate of complete abortions between the two groups of women, 96.9% and 98.8%, was not statistically significant. The women reported no serious complications, and there was little difference in their satisfaction levels., Conclusions: Trained pharmacy workers dispensed MA safely and effectively to the satisfaction of almost all women clients, and the positive results of training had continued several years later., Implications: The role of pharmacy workers as providers of correct and complete information on safe and effective use of MA needs to be recognized and policies formulated to allow them to provide MA drugs for first trimester use., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To examine postabortion contraceptive discontinuation and pregnancy in Nepal, where abortion was decriminalized in 2002., Study Design: We conducted an observational cohort study of 654 women obtaining abortions from four public and nongovernmental facilities in 2011. Patients completed questionnaires at their abortion visit and 6 and 12 months later. We used Cox proportional hazards models to assess contraceptive discontinuation and pregnancy by method initiated postabortion and other sociodemographic and reproductive factors., Results: Among the 78% (508/654) of women who initiated a modern contraceptive method within 3 months postabortion, the 1-year contraceptive discontinuation rate was 62 per 100 person-years. Discontinuation was far lower among the 5% of women using long-acting reversible methods (21/100 person-years) than among those using condoms (74/100 person-years), pills (61/100 person-years) and the injectable [64/100 person-years; adjusted hazard ratio (aHR)=0.32 (0.15-0.68)]. Unmarried women and those not living with their husband experienced higher contraceptive discontinuation [aHR=2.16 (1.47-3.17)]. The 1-year pregnancy rate for all women was 9/100 person-years. Pregnancy was highest among those who initiated no modern method postabortion (13/100 person-years) and condoms (12/100 person-years), and pregnancy was lowest among users of long-acting reversible methods (3/100 person-years). The poorest women were at increased pregnancy risk [aHR=2.31 (1.32-4.10)]., Conclusion: Women using intrauterine devices and implants experienced greatly reduced contraceptive discontinuation and pregnancy within a year postabortion, although initiation of these long-acting methods was low. Increased availability of long-acting methods in Nepal and similar settings may help to prevent unwanted pregnancy and attendant maternal mortality and morbidities., Implications: Initiation of modern contraception was high postabortion; however, 1-year discontinuation was high for the condom, pill and injectable, the methods most commonly used. Rates for intrauterine devices and implants were low. Results support efforts to facilitate patient knowledge and access to the full range of contraceptives, including long-acting reversible methods., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)