Gynuity Health Projects at the 40th Annual National Abortion Federation meeting

16-19 April 2016, Austin, Texas

Gynuity staff participated in two panels, presented two posters, and gave an oral presentation at the 40th Annual NAF meeting:

Celebrating mifepristone: Looking ahead to challenges and opportunities – panel moderated by Beverly Winikoff
Faculty: Kelly Cleland, Angel Foster, Dan Grossman, Elizabeth Raymond

In 2015, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of mifepristone’s approval in the U.S., and the drug’s approval (finally!) by Health Canada. However in the U.S., state-level restrictions targeting mifepristone and non-evidence based regulations limit access and constrain service delivery. In this panel, we review recent efforts to raise the profile of mifepristone and reflect on the legal, regulatory, and political challenges and opportunities for expanding access in both the U.S. and Canada.

Embracing the DIY in Medical Abortion Care – panel moderated by Beverly Winikoff
Faculty: Erica Chong, Amy Hagstrom Miller, Elizabeth Raymond

Presenters will share results from two studies, one evaluating medical abortion provision without a screening ultrasound or pelvic exam, and another examining women’s ability to use a semi-quantitative pregnancy test to assess outcomes without provider assistance. Presenters will discuss experience with home-based telemedicine abortion in the U.S. Lastly, there will be discussion of the ethical considerations of offering misoprostol alone in the U.S., its implications for access and cost, and potential challenges from providers and regulators.

Scientific abstract session (presentation)
Women’s Compliance with Self-Care Instructions After Induced Abortion in the United States – Dyanna Charles

Posters
TelAbortion: A direct-to-patient telemedicine abortion service
Erica Chong, Elizabeth Raymond, Beverly Winikoff, Philicia Castillo

Outpatient mifepristone-misoprostol medical abortion through 77 days of gestation – Ilana Dzuba MHS; Erica Chong MPH; Curtiss Hannum MSN, APN; E. Steve Lichtenberg MD, MPH; Ashlesha Patel MD, MPH; Beverly Winikoff MD, MPH