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AbstractBackground/IntroductionMethodsResultsConclusionSHORT CONDENSATIONOn June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 verdict in the Roe v. Wade legal suit that had established the constitutional right to medical abortion [1]. With the right to abortion now being left to the states, many restrictions regarding abortion procedures are being established [2]. We aim to evaluate whether this has led to an increase in the number of birth control prescriptions and sterilisation procedures at Cape Fear Valley Medical Centre in rural North Carolina.SlicerDicer program within EPIC medical records database was used to retrieve the records of all women that had an obstetrics and gynaecology appointment with Cape Fear Valley Health System between 11/01/21-12/31/2022 for contraception. The data was sorted into race/ethnicity, age, and types of birth control. Principal outcomes measured the trends in birth control prescription or sterilisation procedure appointments before and after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.Contraceptive pill prescriptions decreased from 51.70% to 32.40%. IUD insertions decreased from 39.40% to 11.30%. Injectable birth control remained consistent, at approximately 16%. Nexplanon implantations dropped from 20.60% to 9.70%. Lastly, sterilisation procedures increased from 6.7% to 10.7%.Majority of birth control prescriptions decreased following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, except for sterilisation, which increased by 4.0%. This may indicate that women are now looking for more permanent birth control options after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Future research should investigate whether similar trends of increasing prevalence of sterilisation procedures is seen throughout the United States.We aim to assess the impact of the Supreme Court overturn regarding the Roe v. Wade legal suit on contraceptive decisions in rural North Carolina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing menstruation is a global public health issue. Cultural issues such as period poverty, negative stigmas, and technological advancements are often discussed in the menstrual care space. Technologies, such as mobile apps (e.g., Flo, Glow, iPhone Health) and devices (e.g., menstrual cups, intrauterine devices), have changed how menstruators monitor and manage their menses. Little research exists on how these tools could affect university student menstruators. Virtual focus group discussions (n = 32 across five focus groups) were conducted in February 2021. Eligible participants were student-menstruators attending a large Midwestern University. Thematic analysis techniques were used for data analysis, allowing for a constant comparative approach to contextualization and theme identification. Results demonstrated that participants employed various technologies, including mobile apps, birth control methods, and reusable products, to track, predict, and manage their menstrual experiences effectively. These technologies proved instrumental in tracking symptoms, manipulating the timing of menstruation, facilitating communication with healthcare providers, and alleviating menstrual discomfort. Furthermore, participants emphasized the factors influencing their technology choices, such as menstrual cups' economic and environmental advantages. These findings have implications for menstrual health programs, public health initiatives, and period policies, emphasizing the importance of integrating technology-driven solutions for menstrual health management. The study showcases the value of incorporating technology into education and awareness campaigns to empower individuals in managing their menstrual health and facilitating informed decisions about contraception and fertility. Furthermore, the research highlights the need for policymakers to support reusable menstrual technologies and destigmatize menstruation, ultimately contributing to gender equality and overall well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of the current study was to examine associations between hormonal contraceptive use and indicators of well-being including body image, eating behavior, sleep and energy level. Drawing on a health protection framework, we expected that individuals who use hormonal contraceptives would be more attuned to health and report more positive health attitudes and behaviors on these dimensions. Undergraduate college women (N = 270; M = 19.39 years, SD = 2.43, range 18–39 years) from diverse racial/ethnic and sexual orientation groups completed a survey online. Measures included hormonal contraception use, body image, weight control behavior, breakfast consumption, sleep behavior, and daytime energy level. Nearly 1/3 (30.9%) of the sample reported current hormonal contraceptive use, with most users reporting use of birth control pills (74.7%). Women who used hormonal contraceptives reported significantly higher appearance orientation and body surveillance, lower average energy, more frequent night awakenings, and more naps. Longer duration of hormonal contraceptive use was significantly related to higher body surveillance, and engaging in more unhealthy weight control behavior. Hormonal contraceptive use is not related to indicators of greater well-being. Rather, hormonal contraceptive use is related to greater attention to appearance, lower daytime energy, and some indicators of poorer sleep quality. Clinicians who prescribe hormonal contraceptives should attend to body image, sleep and energy concerns among users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization has potentially profound implications for contraception. Contraceptives came up frequently in oral arguments and constitutional protections for abortion and birth control are fundamentally linked (Griswold v. Connecticut, 381 US 479, 1965). Moreover, in recent decisions (Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. 573 US 682, 2014) the court has endorsed the position of some religious groups that certain forms of contraception are "abortifacients," essentially a form of abortion. This legal blurring of distinct scientific boundaries between abortion and birth control provides legal pathways for birth control restrictions. That said, in the immediate wake of Dobbs, policy change on birth control has been limited, media coverage on the risks posed to birth control have been scarce, and public support of birth control access has remained robust. We review the current landscape of birth control politics and policy after Dobbs, including state and federal policy responses, elite rhetoric, interest group advocacy, media coverage, and public opinion. Our analysis contributes to an emerging literature on birth control politics and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing fertility and sexual and reproductive health across the life course is associated with numerous responsibilities disproportionately experienced by women. This extends beyond dealing with the physical side effects of contraception and can include the emotional burden of planning conception and the financial cost of accessing health services. This scoping review aimed to map how reproductive responsibilities were defined and negotiated (if at all) between heterosexual casual and long-term partners during any reproductive life event. Original research in highincome countries published from 2015 onwards was sourced from Medline (Ovid), CINAHL and Scopus. In studies that focused on pregnancy prevention and abortion decision making, men felt conflict in their desire to be actively engaged while not wanting to impede their partner’s agency and bodily autonomy. Studies identified multiple barriers to engaging in reproductive work including the lack of acceptable male-controlled contraception, poor sexual health knowledge, financial constraints, and the feminisation of family planning services. Traditional gender roles further shaped men’s involvement in both pregnancy prevention and conception work. Despite this, studies reveal nuanced ways of sharing responsibilities – such as companionship during birth and abortion, ensuring contraception is used correctly during intercourse, and sharing the costs of reproductive health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined whether hormonal contraception (HC) use predicts sexual frequency throughout and across young women's intimate relationships. From 2008–2012, the Relationships Dynamics and Social Life Study collected weekly surveys over 2.5 years, and included 893 women (aged 18–19 at baseline) who reported 2,547 intimate relationships across 32,736 weeks. Three-level logistic multilevel models assessed the weekly probability of sexual intercourse based on 1) weekly HC use (vs. nonuse) and 2) duration of HC use, both accounting for several relational and individual characteristics, including relationship duration. Women had more frequent sexual intercourse when they were using HC than when they were not (predicted probabilities.65 vs.41). The weekly probability of sexual intercourse increased sharply within the first month of HC initiation (by about 27 percentage points), remained high for several months, then began to slowly decline (yet remained above that of nonuse). When separated by method type, similar trajectories were found for the pill, ring, and IUD/implant; following the initial increase, steeper declines in intercourse frequency were found for the contraceptive injectable, eventually dropping below pre-initiation levels. Findings signify the immediate influence of reduced pregnancy fears in facilitating sexual intercourse among young women, which may decline as HC use continues long-term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fuelled by nationalism and Catholicism, the wartime Slovak state, a client state of Nazi Germany, aimed to promote population growth by forcing the return of women from public to private life and supporting Slovak Christian families, but also by stigmatizing and restricting any sexuality that was not reproductive. Under these circumstances, where women were shamed for not having enough children, all previously per- mitted methods of birth control were banned, and abortion was criminalized. One of the few remaining options for controlling one's fertility was a clandestine abortion. By examining files that document the criminal persecution of women who underwent abortions, this work aims to track alternative family planning practices, and thus the development of a loosely organized clandestine abortion network. It then examines the possibility of understanding abortion as a form of women's opposition to political and ideological aims to hinder their freedom of choice. At the same time, the article suggests that women's agency of this kind challenged the patriotic imperative to become a mother as well as the hegemonic narrative and idyllic picture of Slovak motherhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although U.S. adolescent birth rates in general have declined in recent decades, they continue to be a primary public health concern due to notable disparities among adolescent birth rates. In response, pregnancy prevention program development has increasingly focused on understanding how to better serve the needs of adolescents in underserved populations. To inform future program development and implementation efforts, this qualitative study explored which attributes of programs facilitated and hindered youth engagement. We collected data from educators (N = 43) and a subset of youth program participants (N = 249) from programs implemented by 14 organizations in different community-based settings. We used three data collection methods: (1) post-session surveys completed by educators, (2) post-program implementation interviews with educators, and (3) individual and focus group interviews with youth participants. Qualitative analyses revealed that educators who skillfully facilitated interactive activities and safe and inclusive learning environments promoted engagement. Feeling uncomfortable and awkward during program activities, learning in mixed-gender settings, and COVID-19 disruptions hindered engagement. Additionally, we found that youth participants had conflicting views on learning about sexual relationships at churches. Participants and educators had conflicting views on the benefit of youth attending programs with previously acquainted friends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explore the relationship between women's writing and social and political activism from the 1890s to the 1950s. It discusses how women writers addressed various social and political issues, including women's suffrage, peace, birth control, and better working conditions, among others. It highlights the importance of non-canonical authors and under-read works in understanding the contributions of women writers to early twentieth-century literary and cultural history.

This paper addresses what variables predict and mediate relationships involving accessing telemedicine in the form of online birth control websites that are often advertised online on social media. This is a survey study of N = 252 under 60 women (Mage = 24.71); multiple linear regression and mediation analyses were done to examine the influence of IBM variables on behavioral intentions. Women who currently use contraceptives report comfort and likelihood to use telemedicine services if they have positive attitudes about telemedicine and DTC advertising. Comfort with using an online contraceptive prescription service mediated the relationship between contraceptive use and likelihood to use telemedical services and between positive telemedicine attitudes and likelihood. Women who are positive about telemedicine and DTC ads are comfortable using these resources, and comfort is a salient mediator. Comfort and its antecedents are important predictors and facilitators of telemedicine intentions and behaviors. Using telemedicine can improve the patient experience by offering alternatives to face-to-face visits (i.e., removing barriers to provider-to-patient communication). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is 100 years since the discovery of oestrogen and nearly that since the discovery of progesterone. It is over 50 years since the concept of using intrauterine progesterone. Ten years after its synthesis, the research using levonorgestrel as an intrauterine agent was introduced. The pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of LNG-IUSs and the LNG-IUS 52 mg in particular explain why intrauterine LNG is so highly effective for contraception. When intrauterine LNG is used therapeutically it should ideally be based on clinical monitoring of the pathology being treated rather than a fixed time period While the LNG-IUS 52 mg is probably required for most medical conditions, consideration should be given for using the LNG-IUS 13.5 mg for hyperplasia and endometrial protection during oestrogen therapy and for older women who appear more prone to a low rate of LNG induced breast cancer, although there is not yet an official indication for this. The desire for fertility control, therapy for various genital pathological conditions and reduction of repeated endometrial decidualization and inflammatory breakdown and its consequences, and menopausal problems can be aided by intrauterine LNG. This review explains how a contraceptive also became a WHO listed essential medicine. There are significant differences at many levels in the use of intrauterine levonorgestrel for contraception when compared to using it as a therapeutic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adopting an ethnographic lens, readers are provided a look inside a California high school sexuality education classroom. On this chosen day, two invited guest speakers from an outside company are teaching students about pregnancy prevention, healthy relationships, and risks associated with having sex. Analysis of the guest speakers' pedagogical strategies and accompanying curricula reveal exclusionary abstinence-only ideologies that provide students with limited and narrow constructions of commitment, romance, love, and sexuality. Although considered to be a comprehensive and inclusive sexuality education classroom space, content delivery strategically instills fear and disseminates misinformation. Through classroom observations and student interviews, findings highlight the need for increased attention to guest speakers' involvement in sexuality education classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work analyses the ideas about maternity and female education deriving from different eugenic proposals developed in Argentina and Spain during a period of intense international debate on the implications of voluntary birth control for the future of the race and nations. In an age in which state intervention in human reproduction was presented as a solution to social healthcare problems, an enquiry is made into its evolution in these two countries where a social-hygiene approach to racial issues would prevail in different types of eugenic initiatives which, relating to diverse demographic strategies, expressed fundamental discrepancies on the permissibility or convenience of disseminating birth control methods. These different projects expressly aimed at "hygiene of reproduction" and at helping women to acquire a "maternal culture" are explored by placing the accent on the role of eugenics in the social construction of maternity. Although they took different approaches to sexual morality and bodily autonomy, they essentially propounded medical and educational ideas about reproduction which, based on the cultivation of "femininity," would establish sexual differentiation as a eugenic value to be preserved and developed in pursuit of racial improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, traditional social practices around marriage, such as non-involvement of prospective brides in choice of partner and timing of marriage, child/early marriage, dowry and purdah, compromise women's agency at the time of marriage and may also affect contraceptive practices in marriage. This paper examines the associations between traditional marital practices and contraceptive behaviours, including women's control over contraceptive decision-making, couples' communication about contraception, and ever use of contraceptives, among married women aged 18–29 years (N = 1,200) and their husbands in rural Maharashtra, India. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between these marginalising social practices and family planning behavioural outcomes, adjusting for demographic and parity confounders. Wives who were the primary decision-makers on who to marry had higher odds of ever having communicated with their husband on pregnancy prevention (AOR 1.76, 95% CI 1.16-2.68), and ever using modern contraceptives (AOR 2.19, 95% CI 1.52-3.16). Wives who were the primary decision-makers on when to marry also had higher odds of ever having used modern contraceptives (AOR 1.86, 95% CI 1.21-2.93). Women's involvement in marital choice may facilitate couples' engagement related to family planning, possibly via the establishment of better communication between partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent pregnancy, while recently in decline, remains a matter in need of addressing. Education and counselling are deemed crucial and this review aims at comparing published contraceptive guidelines, thus resolving any surrounding misconceptions. Recently published contraception guidelines regarding adolescent pregnancy were retrieved. In particular, guidelines and recommendations from ACOG, RCOG, SOCG, AAP, CPS, NICE, CDC, and WHO were compared and reviewed based on each guideline's method of reporting. Three categories of contraceptive methods are available for adolescents and recommendations on their initiation should be made based on their efficacy, according to all guidelines. Therefore, long acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) should be highly recommended as the most effective method (typical use failure rate: 0.05%), followed by short-acting hormonal contraceptives (typical use failure rate: 3–9%). The third contraceptive option includes contraceptives used in the moment of intercourse and displays the lowest effectiveness (typical use failure rate: 12–25%), mostly due to its dependence on personal consistency, however offers protection against STI transmission. Adolescents should be encouraged to initiate contraception, with LARCs being the primary choice followed by short-acting hormonal contraception. However, regardless of the chosen effective contraceptive method, the use of condom is necessary for STI prevention. Adolescent pregnancy, while recently in decline, remains a matter in need of addressing. The use of contraceptive methods such as LARCs and short-acting hormonal contraceptives should be encouraged and suggested based on effectiveness with the addition of condom for STI prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homeless youth have disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancy and STIs. Enhancing communication between sexual partners can improve sexual health outcomes, yet little is known about this topic among homeless youth; therefore, this study aimed to examine how homeless youth communicate with their partners about birth control. In-depth semi-structured interviews regarding intimate partner birth control communication were conducted with 10 homeless young women aged 14–22 years following their completion of a comprehensive sexual health program (Wahine Talk). We transcribed the interviews verbatim and used a structured, inductive analytic approach to identify themes. Analysis identified three themes: Getting the Conversation Started, Conversation Content, and Impact of Conversation. Birth control conversations were prompted by programme participation, birth control side effects, and family members' interest in homeless youth becoming pregnant. Barriers to communication included fear and mistimed conversations (e.g. during the initiation of sex). Homeless young people shared simultaneous desires to delay pregnancy and concerns about side effects of birth control use. Discussions about birth control with their partners may demonstrably improve homeless youth's intimate relationships and family planning efforts. Providers can support homeless young women by helping them plan conversation timing and addressing fear, including the risk of violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The herbal contraceptives used by the residents of Kebbi state were surveyed. Data on plants, parts of plants, and mode of preparation were collected from 400 respondents using questionnaires and oral interviews. Twenty medicinal plants were identified as herbal contraceptives used in Kebbi state. The most frequently mentioned plant was Momordica charantia (32.8%), followed by Piliostigma thonningii (27.3%) and Moringa oleifera (17.8%). A majority of respondents (50.37%) relied solely on herbal contraceptives, with leaves and seeds being the most used plant parts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Altered childbearing behaviour has been observed in many settings of violent conflict, but few studies have addressed fertility control. This is the first study to investigate empirically the relationship between local conflict and uptake of sterilization, the only contraceptive method that reflects a definitive stop to childbearing. The study is based on Colombia, a middle-income, low-fertility, and long-term conflict setting. It builds on a mixed methods approach, combining survey and conflict data with expert interviews. Fixed effects regressions show that local conflict is generally associated with an increased sterilization uptake. The interviews suggest that women may opt for sterilization when reversible methods become less accessible because of ongoing violence. Since sterilization is a relatively available contraceptive option in Colombia, it may represent a risk-aversion strategy for women who have completed their fertility goals. These findings can enlighten research and programmes on fertility and family planning in humanitarian contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the association between internal migration, as a form of residential mobility, and teenage fertility in South Africa. Data were from the 2001 and 2011 South African censuses, n2001 = 335 065 and n2011 = 316 640, age range 12 to 19, black teenagers= 83.5% and 84.3%, respectively. Results showed that between 2001 and 2011 residential mobility increased by 12%. The teenage fertility rate significantly decreased from 47 to 39 births per 1 000 12-19-year-old females between the same period. In both years teenage fertility was at higher levels among girls that were older, employed, double orphans, and who had no schooling. Random-intercept multilevel binary logistic regression revealed that the risk of teenage fertility independently decreased as the level of residential mobility increased in communities. The protective effect of residential mobility on the risk of teenage fertility remained in 2011 but was approximately halved in magnitude compared to the effect in 2001. Findings suggest residential mobility has a protective nature that assists with teenage fertility control, and are consistent with the residential move social capital hypothesis about households that migrate to areas with better opportunities for teenagers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the emergency contraceptive pill (ECP) became available in India, it has received significant attention from several social, religious, and political groups and institutions. The increasing use of the ECP as a hormonal birth control method by women has not only bothered medical institutions due to its short-term and possible long-term side-effects, but some social and religious groups have also demanded an outright ban on its sale. This paper is based first on the limited public discussion on the ECP, which has focused on morality; and second, on my semi-structured interviews with women that illustrate the gendered contexts within which they have exercised choice regarding its use. Feminist scholarship on heterosexuality demonstrates that the social context of gendered power relations affects contraceptive choices and negotiations between partners. Using this as a framework, this article there by highlights young women's negotiation regarding their sexual desires and safe sex within spaces of intimacy and power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the relationship between television exposure and women's reproductive behavior in Uganda. There is very little research that has explored the impact of television on the current adoption of modern contraceptives and to our knowledge, no studies have looked at the relationship between family planning programs on TV and the use of modern birth control in Uganda. We find that watching television and specifically watching family planning programs on television is positively associated with the current use of modern contraceptives. Increased frequency of watching TV is also associated with greater use of modern contraceptives. We further find that women exposed to television also changed other aspects of reproductive behavior – preference for a certain number of children and the decision to use any birth control to avoid pregnancy. Our results indicate that continued access to television and family planning programs on television has the potential to alter reproductive behavior and provide women with information and choice to adopt modern methods of birth control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The birth control movement in Japan first arose in the early 1920s. The Japanese government disapproved of birth control because it was enthusiastic about population growth to strengthen national power. Simultaneously, the movement was accompanied by a clash of ideologies among its supporters and critics in society. Existing research is especially interested in state policies and management, as well as the viewpoints and activities of birth control activists. This paper delves into a less-discussed topic: the perspectives of birth control opponents, focusing on Yoshioka Yayoi (1871–1959), a gynaecologist, educator, and women's rights activist. It argues that during the early twentieth century, state policies did not always play a decisive role in shaping people's anti-birth control attitudes. Yoshioka's opposing views in interwar Japan incorporated her concerns for women's morals and health, which were heavily influenced by social values and contraceptive technology at the time. As World War II began, her anti-birth control views had a strong political implication – promoting childbirth as a war effort. Despite Yoshioka's alignment with the state, the distinctions that existed between her views and national ideologies should not be overlooked. Yoshioka's ideas are conservative and show limitations. However, through her case, this article hopes to offer insight into the different meanings of birth control for people living in the early twentieth century, not only in Japan but also in a global context. Many people were reluctant to embrace this new family planning method due to moral reasons and uncertainty. Keeping birth control out of people's daily lives, especially for conservatives like Yoshioka, was an optimal way to benefit individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A non-hormonal prescription vaginal pH modulator (VPM) gel (Phexxi®), with active ingredients lactic acid, citric acid and potassium bitartrate, has recently been approved for prevention of pregnancy in the United States. The objective of this review is to compile the evidence available from published preclinical and clinical trials to support its use. PubMed was searched for published literature on VPM gel. Two Phase III trials were found on clinicaltrials.gov database. The results demonstrated that VPM gel is safe, with minimal side effects, and effective (cumulative 6–7 cycle pregnancy rate of 4.1–13.65%, (Pearl Index 27.5) as a contraceptive. Microbicidal effects suggest potential for the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs); currently a Phase III clinical trial is being conducted to evaluate prevention of chlamydia and gonorrhea. Non-hormonal reversible contraceptive options have been limited to the highly effective copper-releasing intrauterine device that requires insertion by a trained clinician, and less effective coitally associated barrier and spermicide options which are typically available over-the-counter. Spermicides, which improve efficacy of barrier devices, may increase the risk of HIV/STIs. VPM gel provides a new safe, effective non-hormonal contraceptive option, with potential for prevention of STIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health communication strategy known as entertainment–education can be traced in large part to Miguel Sabido and the methodology he developed using telenovelas in Latin America in the 1960s and 1970s. Entertainment–education has evolved from a long-running narrative approach using traditional media to the addition of new media and transmedia formats. In recent years, entertainment–education programs using social media have increased, yet few studies have explored the shared characteristics and experiences of social media users who engage with these programs. This qualitative study aimed TO examine publicly available social media data (i.e. YouTube and Instagram comments) in response to Girlsplained, an online entertainment–education program designed with objectives related to sexual health and HIV prevention among Black, Asian, and minority ethnic women in the United Kingdom. A process of directed content analysis uncovered five themes of engagement: characters and the narrative; social media; gender and race; HIV/PrEP; and sex and pregnancy prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses post-war family planning campaigning in Italy and the legalization of the Pill (1971), in order to illustrate wider processes of change in sexual norms and practices, the feminization of contraception, and the emergence of notions of individual rights in procreation. Situating the Italian family planning movement as part of a transnational network and a global agenda, it problematizes understandings of family planning as a site of individual liberation only, highlighting the hierarchization of reproductive bodies that underpinned the campaigns of many family planning activists. Drawing on archives, publications and memoirs by family planners in Italy and the US, this is the first scholarly analysis of the Italian family planning movement's role in the (illegal) distribution of contraception and sexual information, as well as its key contribution to the legalization of the Pill. The article aims to offer an original contribution to the socio-political negotiation of reproductive agency in the post-war period, set against the backdrop of the globalization of demographic debate, secularization, changing gender roles and new medical technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vismodegib (Erivedge; Roche), a Hedgehog pathway inhibitor (HPI), is indicated for the treatment of symptomatic metastatic basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and locally advanced BCC inappropriate for surgery or radiotherapy. Due to the known risk of HPI teratogenicity, the Erivedge Pregnancy Prevention Program (PPP) was introduced at approval (2013) as part of the EU Risk Management Plan. Structured, quantitative Web-based surveys were conducted in 2015 (Wave 1), 2016 (Wave 2), and 2017/2018 (Wave 3) among prescribing oncologists and dermato-oncologists in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, and the United Kingdom to assess the effectiveness of the Erivedge PPP. Overall, 95%, 87%, and 91% of respondents in Waves 3 (N = 181), 2 (N = 214), and 1 (N = 207), respectively, were vismodegib prescribers. The surveys consistently showed a high awareness about the risk of teratogenicity associated with vismodegib (98%, Wave 3; 95%, Wave 2) and that a high proportion of prescribing physicians took appropriate precautions to minimize this risk (95%, Wave 3; 92%, Wave 2; 88%, Wave 1). Physicians were also highly aware of the Erivedge PPP (70%, Wave 3; 67%, Wave 2; 71%, Wave 1). Survey data suggest that the risk of teratogenicity with vismodegib has been effectively communicated to the prescribing community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To test the ACE-Plus curriculum, a two-session program that teaches males in foster care and/or preventive services about correct and consistent condom use, and engagement with female partners to obtain and use contraception. Nine foster care agencies in New York City randomly assigned 223 males aged 16–20 to the ACE-Plus intervention or a benign program. Youth completed surveys at baseline, 3-month follow-up, and 9-month follow-up. Regression analyses assessed the effects of program participation on condom use, use of hormonal birth control method, use of birth control by female sex partner(s), obtaining birth control with a sex partner(s), and communication about birth control with a sex partner(s). At 3-month follow-up, treatment youth were significantly more likely than control youth to report communicating with their sexual partner(s) about birth control (p =.0062). While not statistically significant, treatment youth were more likely to report obtaining birth control with a sex partner(s) than control youth at 3-month follow-up. Impact estimates for the remaining behavioral outcomes favored the control group, though not significantly. Implementation data suggest the program was delivered with fidelity. Based on these mixed results, perhaps more developmental research into this short-duration intervention for this high-needs population is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A neo-Malthusian reflex can be observed in the climate debate: statistical calculations link climate change to world population growth and suggest strategies for birth control. The undead neo-Malthusian ghost is being revived, with its reference to the category of 'population' and its colonial-racist and social-Darwinist legacies. This article discusses this dangerous development, paying particular but not exclusive attention to German constellations, showing that the actors who strengthen this narrative range from ecological mainstream positions to those right-wing forces who do not deny climate change. However, some climate activist and feminist positions have also contributed by advocating a birth strike as a strategy for containing climate change. The article analyses three dimensions of neo-Malthusianism: the abstract statistical construction of an excess population; the historically deeply rooted racist and classist attribution of this excess to 'others'; and the totalitarian visions of global 'fertility' management. The argument is that even if the racist and classist attributions are not directly addressed by the more progressive political actors, the three dimensions of neo-Malthusianism strongly flow together and reinforce each other. In conclusion, the text takes up anti-Malthusian feminist perspectives which place a special emphasis on the concept of reproductive justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores discussions of family planning and the contraceptive pill in the popular Irish women's magazine Woman's Way between 1963 and 1973. Contraception was criminalised in Ireland in 1935 and literature relating to birth control was banned under the 1929 Censorship of Publications Act. The contraceptive pill was marketed as a cycle regulator from 1963 until legalization in 1979. This article outlines how women accessed the contraceptive pill, the geographical and class inequalities around this access and how Woman's Way was an important vehicle for debates around the pill. The article assesses what discussions of the contraceptive pill can tell us about marriage dynamics, the role of sympathetic doctors, the power of the Catholic Church. Ultimately, it illustrates how the magazine was an important source of information on family planning for Irish women and how it also enabled women to air their views on the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article sheds light on an important facet of the history of abortion in Mexico: that is, moments in which doctors and priests reconciled the termination of pregnancy with religious ideologies, thus refracting the concept of abortion through a Catholic lens at different points in time. By underscoring ambivalences in the definition, implementation, and criminalization of abortive procedures, the research demonstrates that Mexican physicians periodically renamed or reconceptualized abortive procedures, thereby legitimizing them while constructing and reimagining the meaning of abortion itself. This allowed doctors to make fertility control compatible with religious ideologies and therefore legible to a range of spiritual and state authorities, but generally without overt challenges to Catholic claims about fetal life. The article argues that these historical cultures of Catholicized abortion—or, to use Morgan and Roberts's term, 'regime[s] of moral governance'—laid the historical groundwork for today's chasm between practice and law. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that the legal prosecution of fertility control, defined here as abortion and infanticide, reshaped both governmental and individual patriarchal structures in turn-of-the-century Brazil. The article uses its then-capital region of Rio de Janeiro as a case study to explore the patriarchal parameters of the state during important political transitions in Brazilian history. Analyzing cases of incest that resulted in abortion or infanticide, the article shows that the Brazilian criminal justice system only prosecuted incest in conjunction with fertility control. Fertility control, unlike incest, undermined the patriarchal pattern because it threatened a societal order that limited women's bodies to reproducing the nation. The article argues that only when incest was followed by fertility control did the state's patriarchal goals of controlling women's sexuality and reproduction supercede those of the male head-of-household. The courts only prosecuted men for fertility control when their actions threatened patriarchy more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper surveys and evaluates the range of methods recommended mostly to promote but also to prevent pregnancy in ancient Rome, and then discusses the practices of adult adoption and infant exposure in more detail in order to interrogate the notion of 'fertility control' from an ancient historical perspective. Is this formulation sufficiently flexible to encompass Roman procreative projects and the resources they were able to bring to bear on them? Were the methods deployed sufficiently effective to qualify as 'control', and was it 'fertility' that was being acted on through adoption and exposure? This essay answers these questions positively and argues that the Roman case has plenty to offer wider debates about the history of reproduction as it includes the desires to have and not to have children, to limit and increase offspring, to shape families in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This afterward argues that the articles in this special issue show that while the desire to control fertility is as ubiquitous as sex in recorded human history, so too are efforts to govern it by states, religious institutions, and families. What distinguishes the modern era is thinking about fertility control in terms of populations—and hence, to a greater or lesser extent, state-organized eugenic schemes. In the most recent period, however, we see the emergence of regimes of austerity and privatization that seemingly privatize the stratification of reproduction, while resulting in more extreme downward pressure on fertility rates of impoverished people than eugenics was ever able to accomplish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses a particularly rich account of an abortion trial in a British Caribbean colony in the early twentieth-century—British Guiana—to explore the extent to which contemporary ideas about population decline influenced the enforcement of anti-abortion laws in this colony. This article argues that the official focus on the interwined problems of infant mortality and population decline did not determine popular approaches to reproduction. It shows that the fragmentary sources produced at the trial point to local knowledge networks about abortion and the role of midwives as abortion providers. It also reveals a very personal story, the efforts of one woman and her family to deal with the social and legal consequences of unmarried pregnancy and abortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Introduction provides an historiographical essay on the history of fertility control, connecting scholarship to current events and introducing and connecting the various articles of the issue through the concept of 'control'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how the Japanese conceptualized 'birth control' in the twentieth century by analyzing the various terms its supporters used to describe contraception. The Japanese translations reveal the core ideas that defined the Japanese birth control movement, specifically eugenics and Neo-Malthusianism, during the tumultuous decades surrounding World War II as Japan competed for hegemony in the Pacific. The use of different terms over the decades reveals the struggles among Japanese leaders and intellectuals to 'control' the reproductive fate of the Japanese race. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses students' perspectives on fertility control, including induced abortion, in Antananarivo, Madagascar. The study draws on a total of nine weeks of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in 2016 and 2017. It argues that while the majority of the students do not refrain from premarital sex, they negotiate their desire for physical intimacy in accordance with the prevailing discourse of premarital abstinence among the Merina ethnic group in the central highlands. In this context, modern contraception, particularly hormonal birth control that could cause menstruation to cease, is considered highly problematic since it was believed capable of creating a 'blockage' of the reproductive system which in turn could lead to future infertility. Due to such cultural barriers, there is therefore low coverage and unmet need for contraception among Malagasy students in Antananarivo. Instead, they would rather rely heavily on traditional methods such as periodic abstinence or the calendar method. Moreover, due to the risk of unwanted pregnancy, menstruation is central to the moral control of own and other's sexual behaviour at both a personal and a collective level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese academics and politicians argue that Xinjiang's 'terrorism' problem can only be solved by 'optimizing' its ethnic population structure. High ethnic minority population concentrations are considered a national security threat. 'Optimizing' such concentrations requires 'embedding' substantial Han populations, whose 'positive culture' can mitigate the Uyghur 'human problem'. Scenarios that do not overburden the region's ecological carrying capacity entail drastic reductions in ethnic minority natural population growth, potentially decreasing their populations. Population 'optimization' discourses and related policies provide a basis to assess Beijing's 'intent' to destroy an ethnic minority population in part through birth prevention per the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention. The 'destruction in part' can be assessed as the difference between projected natural population growth without substantial government interference and reduced growth scenarios in line with population 'optimization' requirements. Based on population projections by Chinese researchers, this difference could range between 2.6 and 4.5 million lives by 2040. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores a birth control survey conducted by the Japanese government between 1945–1960, and analyses how this research, both as scientific practice and knowledge, resonated with government efforts to manage the population during post-war reconstruction. Focusing on Shinozaki Nobuo, a Ministry of Health and Welfare 'technical bureaucrat' (gijutsu kanryō or gikan) specializing in population issues, this article depicts how human agency participated in the at times precarious relationship between policy and practice. It also explores how the epistemological framework inscribed in the resulting scientific knowledge harmonized with the economic and political rationale supporting post-war reconstruction. This article contributes to the study of modern Japan by highlighting the critical, yet thus far underexamined role that population science and technical bureaucrats played in Japanese statecraft. At the same time, it demonstrates that the interaction between state governance of population and the creation of scientific knowledge about the populace was fundamentally complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides an empirical test of the relationship between creative potential, mating, and reproductive success in a sample using natural methods of fertility control: the Meru tribe living in the regions of Laare and Mutuati in Kenya. The participants (N = 133; 65 females) solved a figural creativity test (the Test of Creative Thinking – Drawing Production, TCT-DP) and provided information about the number of spouses, children, length of their schooling, as well as wealth. Analyses demonstrated that creative potential negatively predicted the number of offspring, but this relation was fully mediated by the number of spouses: more creative people more often stayed single and did not have offspring. The theoretical consequences of these findings are discussed in light of the evolutionary psychology of creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing young people and children with age and developmentally appropriate comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is important for young people in making informed decisions. There are presently few studies documenting the relationship between school grade of learning CSE and curriculum coverage. We studied this relationship using a 2015 national survey conducted in three regions of Ghana—Greater Accra, Brong Ahafo, and Northern. A sample of 2,990 adolescents in Senior High School (SHS) 2 and 3 were drawn from 82 randomly sampled secondary schools. Logistic regression was used to assess full coverage of five CSE modules—sexual and reproductive physiology, HIV/STI prevention, contraception and pregnancy prevention, gender and sexual and reproductive health, and values and interpersonal skills and classes/grades students first started learning sexuality. The results show that students were more likely to learn all modules on sexual and reproductive physiology while values and interpersonal skills were the least covered topic. Students who learned sexuality topics before Primary 6 had better chances of better content coverage on five themes. Knowledge, and perhaps behavioral outcomes on sexual and reproductive health could be better enhanced with the early introduction of CSE topics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored how sexuality education relates to young and emerging adults' sexual behavior and communication. A questionnaire measured 140 U.S. participants' (18–28) school-based sexuality education, age at sexual debut, birth control use, relationship with recent sexual partner, and safer sex communication (SSC) during their last encounter. Those who underwent abstinence-only sexuality education began having sex a year later than those who had comprehensive sexuality education. Contraceptive use did not differ across sex education type. Overall, respondents reported high levels of SSC, with minimal differences in SSC across sexuality education types. Implications for sexuality education and SSC training are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital fertility awareness-based contraception offers an alternative choice for women who do not wish to use hormonal or invasive methods. The aim of this study was to investigate the key demographics of current users of the Natural Cycles app and assess the contraceptive outcomes of women preventing pregnancy in a UK cohort of women. This was a real world observational prospective observational study. The typical-use effectiveness of the method was calculated using both 13-cycle cumulative probability of pregnancy (life table analysis) and Pearl Index for the entire study cohort. Perfect-use PI was calculated using data from cycles where sexual intercourse during the fertile window was marked as protected and no unprotected sex was recorded on fertile days. 12,247 women were included in the study and contributed an average of 9.9 months of data for a total of 10,066 woman years of exposure. The mean age of the cohort was 30, mean BMI 23.4, the majority were in a stable relationship (83.2%) and had a university degree or higher (83%). The one year typical use, PI was 6.1 (95% CI: 5.6, 6.6) and with perfect-use was 2.0 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.8). 13 cycle pregnancy probability was 7.1%. This is the first study which describes the use of a digital contraceptive by women in the UK. It describes the demographics of users and how they correlate with the apps effectiveness at preventing pregnancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1929 the Irish state banned the publication of any information that advocated the prevention of conception. While much research has examined the cleansing of sexual matters from motion pictures and literature, the mechanics of how aspects of sexuality, in this instance birth control information, was excised from the most affordable, most widely available, and most easily purchased medium – the press – have received scant attention. This article examines the origins of, the implementation of, and the controversies that arose from the banning of birth control information from the press in Ireland. Through an examination of state and ecclesiastical archives – as well as contemporaneous press coverage – it outlines the mechanics utilised by state and religious actors to cleanse the press of such content. The archives demonstrate an acute sensitivity on the part of Catholic moral entrepreneurs to any mention, as distinct from advocacy, of birth control in the press. This sensitivity led to those tasked with implementing censorship going beyond their remit in terms of imposing official and unofficial bans on various publications. Such actions delayed for decades any meaningful public discussion of birth control with the inevitable consequences this had for women in pre-1970s Ireland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterosexual sex, foremost its gender-power dynamics, is embedded in and informed by the socio-historical context in which it occurs. While safer sexual communication skills are well documented as key to the success of sexual and reproductive health programming and education, communication skills about the positive aspects of sexuality such as sexual pleasure are often limited if not absent. Using data from in-depth qualitative interviews with men and women aged 26–39 from a diverse set of backgrounds in Cape Town, South Africa, this study examines the ways in which gender-power dynamics manifest in negotiations of HIV and pregnancy prevention and sexual pleasure in the intimate spaces of heterosex. Findings fall under three themes: 1) condom negotiation as a replacement for other aspects of sexual communication; 2) self-efficacy in negotiating prevention and negotiating one's own sexual pleasure; and 3) the integral role men play in heterosexual encounters in the facilitation of women's sexual autonomy and women's sexual pleasure. This study contributes to research not only examining the positive and more nuanced realities of heterosex in the South African context, but also argues for the need to integrate positive aspects of sexuality into sexual and reproductive health programming in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay explores the evolution of Gandhi's philosophy of brahmacharya (celibacy) after World War I. I argue here that Gandhi broadened his understanding of brahmacharya after he assumed leadership of the nationalist movement, rendering it into a concept that was applicable to the wider population of India rather than just to himself and a set of especially disciplined activists. A major reason for this development was Gandhi's concern with deflating the claims of sexual science and birth control at a time when global sexology was gaining a foothold in Indian middle-class society. In this context, Gandhi specifically came to contest the notion that human 'nature' made brahmacharya inapplicable to ordinary people, suggested that husbands and wives could follow brahmacharya even while married, and insisted that the general practice of brahmacharya was essential to the collective health of the Indian nation. In the process, he imparted a significant eugenic component into his philosophy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Half of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended, and the rate is even higher in women aged ≤25 years. We sought to identify which method of contraception was the most effective option to prevent unintended pregnancy in young women and adolescents.Methods: Systematic searches, without language restrictions, were carried out of the PubMed, Embase, Lilacs and Cochrane databases from inception to July 2020. Abstracts and full-text articles of observational studies and randomised controlled trials comparing the use of multiple methods of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) and short-acting reversible contraception (SARC) in young women and adolescents were screened and reviewed. Risk ratios (RRs) and mean differences with their 95% confidence interval (CI) were derived using a random-effects meta-analytical model. Meta-analyses provided pooled estimates for adverse events, continuation rates and efficacy of LARC methods in young women and adolescents. Nine of the 25 included studies compared LARC with SARC, and 16 compared LARC methods only.Results: At 12 months, young women had better adherence with LARC compared with SARC (n = 1606; RR 1.60; 95% CI 1.21, 2.12; I2 = 88%), which suggests a better unintended pregnancy prevention outcome for young women. However, more young women chose SARC (n = 2835; RR 0.37; 95% CI 0.17, 0.80; I2 = 99%). Pregnancy during LARC use was rare.Conclusion: LARC methods are the most efficacious in preventing pregnancy, and women should be informed of this if pregnancy prevention is their priority. The evidence, however, is of low quality.Prospero Registration Number: CRD42017055452. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Induced abortion is an occupational hazard for female sex workers (FSWs). This study aimed to examine the prevalence and factors associated with induced abortion among FSWs in Iran. 1337 FSWs aged ≥18 years who reported selling sex to more than one male client in the past 12 months were recruited in 13 major cities in Iran between January and August 2015. Bivariable and multivariable modified Poisson regression models were constructed to examine the correlates of induced abortion. Adjusted prevalence ratios (APRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Lifetime induced abortion was reported by 621 of 1335 participants (46.5%; 95% CI 43.8, 49.2). Older age (APR for ≥ 35 vs. < 25 years, 1.46; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.07), having ever been married (APR 1.58; 95% CI 1.05, 2.39), having ever worked in a brothel (APR 1.19; 95% CI 1.02, 1.38) and a lifetime history of being raped (APR 1.19; 95% CI 1.03, 1.38) were significantly associated with lifetime induced abortion (all p < 0.05). The high prevalence of induced abortion among FSWs in Iran is concerning. Evidence-informed programmes targeting FSWs in Iran would improve their knowledge and encourage contraceptive use as well as promote pregnancy prevention and post-abortion care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]