Ibis Reproductive Health

❓ What are patient experiences using misoprostol-only and mife + miso for telehealth medication abortion? Our latest paper "Perceptions and experiences with two no-test direct-to-patient telehealth medication abortion regimens in the USA: an exploratory study with mifepristone and misoprostol and misoprostol-only regimens" - seeks to answer this question! ➡️ Respondents found both teleMAB regimens to be acceptable, technologically accommodating and convenient ➡️ Our These results have promising implications for states positioned to expand insurance coverage and reimbursement for teleMAB, *including* misoprostol-only regimens ➡️ Acceptability among respondents is fantastic, but what about people who can't access telehealth? Our results also inform a need to focus on policies that expand access to teleMAB through nationwide internet connectivity and other policies Thrilled to collaborate with carafem and my colleagues at Ibis Reproductive Health on this research! Open access link here! https://lnkd.in/gVU_2tZG

Currently, most private insurance plans must cover all FDA-approved methods of contraception (including OTC products). However, insurers can—and often do—require a prescription in order for insurance to cover birth control, creating an unnecessary barrier to affordable access. Data shows that interest in over-the-counter (OTC) progestin-only birth control pills (POP) increases when covered by insurance 👇 More respondents reported likely OTC POP use if fully covered by insurance: 👉46% of adults and 40% of teens were interested if fully covered vs. 👉39% of adults and 29% of teens in initial question not mentioning coverage The Biden-Harris Administration has made significant progress on their commitment to affordable contraceptives with a new proposed federal rule that would make over-the-counter contraception more affordable and helps address the reproductive health crisis. Read our statement here: https://lnkd.in/gN6-kc5p #FreeThePill #IbisDrivesChange

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration proposed a new federal rule that would be a monumental step toward making OTC birth control more accessible. This proposed rule would expand access to birth control under the Affordable Care Act by covering over-the-counter (OTC) birth control without a prescription or cost sharing and requiring insurance plans to share information about this coverage with consumers. The rule also requires plans to cover all contraceptive methods without a therapeutic equivalent, helping more people obtain their preferred method without out-of-pocket costs. Coverage of OTC birth control without a prescription has long been a goal of Ibis Reproductive Health and the Free the Pill coalition, operated by Ibis. Research clearly shows that cost is a significant barrier to contraceptive access. Insurance coverage of OTC birth control pills without a prescription or cost sharing would eliminate cost barriers for many people across the country. Further, with Opill, the first daily birth control pill in the US on shelves nationwide, we are thrilled that action is being taken to better support people in utilizing their insurance coverage to access OTC birth control affordably. Read our full statement here: https://lnkd.in/gN6-kc5p

Along with Honeybee Health's @jessicanouhavandipharmd, Senior Research Manager Caila Brander, MSc and Senior Research Scientist Terri-Ann Thompson analyzed nearly 88,000 fulfilled prescriptions from an online pharmacy between June 2021 and June 2023. Following the leak of the SCOTUS decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization on May 2, 2022, and the expected decision on June 24 which overturned the federal right to abortion, data showed significant increases in direct-to-patient abortion care prescription fulfillment. This leading research demonstrates the increasingly important role online pharmacies hold in abortion care provision in the United States and the strong linkages between virtual-only prescribers and online pharmacies. #IbisDrivesChange with one of the first studies to assess the role of online pharmacies in abortion provision, and findings indicate that, despite an increase in utilization of medication abortion, existing barriers to online pharmacy access still limit access to care. Read the full study here: https://lnkd.in/g6a9GCJe

Two great reads on #familyplanning have come across my feed in the last couple of days that I recommend adding to your ‘must read’ list. One from Shyami de Silva and colleagues at USAID's PRH office reminding us about the returns that investments in FP and SRH have on the #SDGs. The second is by Heidi Moseson at Ibis Reproductive Health on the importance of understanding distinctions and capturing data on sex and gender in FP research. Both take less than 10 minutes to read and trust me, they are worth it! https://lnkd.in/e6WXrXtc

Are you conducting family planning/contraception research? Then check out our new guidelines about using sex and gender, as applicable. It was inspiring to work with such a thoughtful coauthorship team. Heidi Moseson Iris Ryn Olson, MPH Miles Harris Your comments are welcome. Approaching the Concepts of Gender and Sex in Family Planning Research #URochesterResearch https://lnkd.in/gbcXG-NK

We’re thrilled to announce that Emmeline Rodriguez has joined Ibis as Free the Pill Deputy Director! In this role, Emmeline will manage key aspects of #FreeThePill, including coalition engagement and growth, facilitation of strategic partnerships and collaboration, and implementation of our ongoing public education and awareness campaign. Please join us in welcoming Emmeline! #BeAnIbis Learn more about Emmeline here 👇 https://lnkd.in/gKNWMwzY

In order to expand access to high-quality abortion care, some health care providers in the United States employ technology to provide medication abortion or abortion-related services via telemedicine. As these services have expanded, evaluations over the last decade have provided evidence on their implementation, use, and impact. Check out our updated resource toolkit on telemedicine provision of abortion and abortion-related services here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eX9AVdWU

Gender and sex are distinct concepts, yet they have been used interchangeably in most family planning research, leading to the exclusion of transgender, gender diverse, and intersex people from research on contraception, pregnancy, and abortion. A new, field-shifting commentary from an interdisciplinary group of scholars, led by Ibis Senior Research Scientist Heidi Moseson, aims to support more inclusive family planning research by providing guidance for clinical and social science researchers. The commentary provides current definitions of gender and sex, best practices for when and why capturing information about gender, sex, or both is relevant, and recommended language to accurately and affirmingly recruit study participants, collect and analyze data, and disseminate findings, and approaches for engaging with already collected data and published research. These specific guidelines can ensure that future research in the sexual and reproductive health field encompasses the full range of experiences across genders and sexes and does not exclude individuals based on outdated or narrow definitions of sex and gender. Read the full commentary here: https://lnkd.in/gwQeU3dT #IbisDrivesChange

"Instead of going back, we must move forward — with new policies and better protections to create a future that guarantees access for all to the reproductive health services [people] need." Read the full blog post from Ibis researchers Terri-Ann Thompson and Carmela Zuniga on the evidence-informed steps that could enact meaningful change: https://lnkd.in/gkjsW5Mp