1. Abortion Stigma as a Barrier to Mifepristone Use among Obstetrician-Gynecologists in Alabama for Early Pregnancy Loss.
- Author
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Mokashi M, Boulineaux C, Janiak E, Boozer M, and Neill S
- Subjects
- Adult, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Pregnancy, Abortifacient Agents, Steroidal administration & dosage, Abortifacient Agents, Steroidal therapeutic use, Alabama, Attitude of Health Personnel, Interviews as Topic, Practice Patterns, Physicians' statistics & numerical data, Qualitative Research, Abortion, Induced psychology, Abortion, Induced methods, Abortion, Spontaneous psychology, Gynecologists statistics & numerical data, Mifepristone therapeutic use, Mifepristone administration & dosage, Obstetricians statistics & numerical data, Social Stigma
- Abstract
Objectives: The objective of our study was to identify and characterize barriers to mifepristone use among obstetrician-gynecologists (OB-GYNs) for early pregnancy loss in a southern US state., Methods: In this qualitative study, we conducted semistructured interviews with 19 OB-GYNs in Alabama who manage early pregnancy loss. The interviews explored participants' knowledge of and experience with mifepristone use for miscarriage management and abortion, along with barriers to and facilitators of clinical mifepristone use. The interviews were coded by multiple study staff using inductive and deductive thematic coding., Results: Nearly all of the interviewees identified abortion-related stigma as a barrier to mifepristone use. Interviewees often attributed stigma to a lack of knowledge about the clinical use of mifepristone for early pregnancy loss. The stigmatization of mifepristone due to its association with abortion was related to religious and political objections. Many interviewees also described stigma associated with misoprostol use. Although providers believed that mifepristone use for abortion would not be accepted in their practice, most believed that mifepristone could be used successfully for miscarriage management after practice-wide education on its use., Conclusions: Mifepristone is strongly associated with abortion stigma among OB-GYNs in Alabama, which is a barrier to its use for miscarriage management. Interventions to decrease abortion stigma and associated stigma surrounding mifepristone are needed to optimize early pregnancy loss care.
- Published
- 2024
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