By Sharon James, Jessica Moulton, Anisa Assifi, Jessica Botfield, Kirsten Black, Mark Hanson & Danielle Mazza The potential impact of lifestyle risks such as smoking, unhealthy diet, unsafe alcohol consumption, and inadequate exercise, increases with the mother’s age and parity. While lifestyle risks are responsible for many chronic conditions, changing lifestyle behaviours during pregnancy […]
Latest articles
The Bogus Privacy in FemTech: circumventing consent when collecting sensitive sexual and reproductive health data
By Manna Mostaghim FemTech products (or Female Technology products) are digital tools that claim to empower individuals to take control of their health and wellbeing. But at what cost? FemTech products are facing more scrutiny because of a lack of clarity on how their privacy policies protect sensitive information that are inputted by users. […]
Experiences using an over-the-counter progestin-only pill in a trial in the United States
By Kate Grindlay Read the research papers here and here. In 2021, two progestin-only oral contraceptive pills (POPs) were approved in the UK as “pharmacy medicines,” becoming available without a prescription. Efforts are also currently underway to make a POP over the counter (OTC) in the United States, with an application under review at the […]
The importance of using inclusive language in medical practice
By Ness Cooper Maintaining a safe, inclusive environment is essential when seeing patients in any medical setting. Some patients may avoid contact with healthcare services if they perceive that interactions will be uncomfortable, hostile, or likely to trigger psychosexual factors. This is particularly true of sexual and reproductive health, given the intimate nature of […]
Abortion travels in and outside France: Women’s experiences, costs, and opinions of the abortion law
By Laura Rahm, Silvia de Zordo, Joanna Mishtal, Giulia Zanini, Camille Garnsey, Derek Clougher & Caitlin Gerdts This is the first study contrasting the experience of women residing in France and traveling for abortion services inside and outside their country of residence. Based on the main findings of a mixed-methods research project funded by […]
Bereavement Leave After Abortions: How New Zealand Missed Out
By Dr Nathan Hodson The UK has introduced the world’s first bereavement leave for people bereaved by abortion. I have described this in my new article in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health, titled “The UK Government Created Statutory Bereavement Leave for Abortions After 24 Weeks and Should Acknowledge It”. In this blog I want to […]
What were patients’ experiences of trying to access sexual and reproductive health services during the early months of the COVID-19?
By Raquel Boso Perez, David Reid and Kirstin Mitchell Access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services are imperative, even during pandemics such as COVID-19, when physical distancing measures are deemed necessary. We set up the Natsal-COVID study to understand the impact of service reduction and reconfiguration in Britain in response to COVID-19. Findings from […]
Are You Listening? Black Voices on Contraception Choice and Access to Sexual Health Services
By Dr Shardia Briscoe-Palmer Ten new videos launch this month, highlighting the views and experiences of Black people when accessing sexual and reproductive health services. The videos are available on the Contraception Choices website. The videos were produced by Dr Shardia Briscoe-Palmer (project researcher) in collaboration with Dr Julia Bailey from the University College London […]
What are the determinants of FGM at an individual, family, and community level?
By Zeinab El Dirani, Ubah Ali and Stephen J. McCall The act of damaging or removing female genital organs without a medical reason is known as female genital mutilation (FGM). It is performed by specific ethnicities, mainly in African countries, but also in Yemen, Iraq, Indonesia, and the Maldives.1 Religious, social norms and cultural beliefs […]
When Basic Information is Not Enough: The Case for Expanding Ireland’s Abortion Helpline
By Dr Lorraine Grimes, Aideen O’Shaughnessy, Dr. Rachel Roth, Anna Carnegie and Dr Deirdre Duffy In 2018, the people of Ireland voted to remove the Eighth Amendment from the Irish Constitution, lifting the ban on abortion. This made way for legislation, and legal abortion became available from January 2019. An information and support helpline called […]