CDC Publishes New Statistics about HIV Transmission in America

HIV Ribbon

Since the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, HIV transmission rates have fallen dramatically in the United States thanks to decades of public health education and scientific research. Today, high-risk individuals can even take daily doses of Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent themselves from becoming infected with HIV. But despite the significant strides that have been… Read more »

Scientists Identify Gene That May Impact Birth Control Effectiveness

Birth Control Pill Calendar

Since the first oral contraceptive was approved by the FDA in 1960, hormonal birth control has given millions of women unprecedented control over their reproductive health and family planning decisions. This, in turn, has helped more American women enter the workforce over the past 50 years than ever before. But while hormonal birth control is… Read more »

AMA Files Federal Lawsuit in Response to Title X Funding Changes

Lady Justice

Late last month, the Trump Administration announced that it will institute a new rule which prohibits family planning clinics that perform abortions from receiving federal funding under the Title X program. Furthermore, clinics that receive Title X funding will no longer be allowed to share office space with abortion providers. Meanwhile, the funds that would… Read more »

Chicago Nonprofit Helps Connect Women With Birth Control Providers

IUD and Birth Control Pills

During her 16-year tenure as a nurse midwife, Kai Tao became acutely aware of the many obstacles that prevent modern women from getting contraceptive access. Busy schedules, financial concerns and a complex healthcare landscape can all conspire to make the prospect of getting birth control seem like more trouble than it’s worth. “You may have… Read more »

Study Finds Mammograms Have Saved Hundreds of Thousands of Lives

Mammogram

Since mammography screening first became widely available in the 1980s, mammograms have become invaluable tools in the fight against breast cancer. Today, the American Cancer Society recommends that all women age 45 and older receive annual mammograms to screen for breast cancer. Furthermore, women of all ages who notice any changes in the look or… Read more »

Study Finds Long-Term Birth Control Use Spiked After 2016 Election

intrauterine device

Despite the fact that the Trump Administration has failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), anxieties stemming from this campaign pledge may have contributed to a significant uptick in the use of long-acting birth control options following the 2016 presidential election, according to a study conducted at Harvard University. This study, which was published… Read more »

Georgia Tech Researchers Test Long-Acting Birth Control Patch

Chemist in Lab

Hormonal contraceptive options like birth controls pills and intrauterine devices (IUDs) are very effective at preventing pregnancies when used correctly, but they’re not without their drawbacks. It can be easy to forget to take a birth control pill every day, for example, and the IUD insertion process can be quite painful for some women. That’s… Read more »

NY State Lawmakers Move to Pass Reproductive Health Act

NY State Capitol

In light of recent concerns that a more conservative Supreme Court might overturn the landmark precedent established by Roe v. Wade in 1973, Governor Andrew Cuomo and state legislators have pledged to pass a law protecting abortion rights in New York within the first 30 days of the new legislative session. Although previous attempts to… Read more »

American Abortion, Unplanned Pregnancy Rates Hit Historic Lows

Physician Counseling

According to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national abortion rate has plummeted over the course of the past decade, falling by 26 percent between 2006 and 2015 to its lowest point on record. Furthermore, between 2008 and 2011, the proportion of unplanned pregnancies fell by six percent in… Read more »

Male Contraceptive Gel Begins Clinical Trials

Birth Control Gel

The decades-long quest to develop a viable contraceptive option for men may have hit an important milestone this month, as the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has announced that it will enroll about 400 couples in clinical trials of a contraceptive gel for men called NES/T. The gel, which has been… Read more »