Contraceptive methods are vital in maintaining women’s health and preventing unintended pregnancy. When a woman uses a method that reflects her personal preferences and lifestyle, the chances of low adoption and misuse decreases. The research aim of this project is to develop a web-based decision aid tailored to college women that assists in the selection of contraceptive methods. For this reason, My Contraceptive Choice (MCC) is built using the gaps identified in existing resources provided by Planned Parenthood and Bedsider, along with feedback from a university student focus group. The tool is a short quiz that is followed by two pages of information and resources for a variety of different contraceptive methods commonly used by college women. The evaluation phase of this project includes simulated test cases, a Google Forms survey, and a second focus group to assess the tool for accuracy and usability. From the survey, 130 of the 150 (80.7%) responses believe that the recommendations provided can help them select a birth control method. Furthermore, 136 of the 150 (90.0%) responses believe that the layout of the tool made it easy to navigate. The second focus group feedback suggests that the MCC tool is perceived to be accurate, usable, and useful to the college population. Participants believe that the MCC tool performs better overall compared to the Planned Parenthood quiz in creating a customized recommendation and Bedsider in overall usability. The test cases reveal that there are further improvements that could be made to create a more accurate recommendation to the user. In conclusion, the new MCC tool accomplishes the aim of creating a beneficial resource to college women in assisting with the birth control selection process.

Intrauterine devices, or IUDs, are long-lasting forms of birth control that have effectiveness comparable to sterilization, while they can be removed at any time. However, the insertion process can be very painful, especially for individuals who have never given vaginal birth. The most common form of pain management for this procedure is having the patient take an ibuprofen an hour or so before the procedure, but this only helps with cramping afterwards, not the acute pain caused by insertion. Pain, and anxiety and fear regarding potential pain, serve as a barrier between users and this highly effective form of birth control. This report uses COMSOL to model lidocaine diffusion from 4% topical hydrogel into the cervix (the main site of acute pain during IUD insertion) over 180 minutes. The cervix was modeled axisymmetrically, using average experimental values for cervix size. Concentration at four specific probe points were measured over time and compared at different concentrations. A sensitivity analysis was performed by adjusting the diffusion coefficient of the epithelial layer. This model was developed to serve as a predictor for future drug applications across the cervix, to determine in advance whether a novel formulation of drug would be effective to significantly reduce pain. This model may be refined further with experimental values for the constants, and with further testing of different lidocaine concentrations.

Vasectomy is one of few widely available methods of contraception for people with male reproductive systems aside from condoms, abstinence, and the withdrawal method, and it is the only one of those options that can be permanent (Amory 2016). The procedure’s prominence has led me to investigate the history of vasectomy and particularly the evolution in vasectomy technique over time. Since its introduction in the late nineteenth century, the procedure has had a variety of impacts on many people across the world. In this research project, I have sought to analyze what the technical evolution of vasectomy reveals about the changing priorities of the medical systems that use it. In particular, I point to ways the eugenics movement’s attempts to control individual reproduction have led to both vasectomy’s efficacy and its restrictiveness.

Transgender and gender-nonconforming assigned female at birth (AFAB) individuals are consistently excluded when discussing sexual health and contraceptive methods and face unique challenges in accessing sexual healthcare as gender dysphoria heavily influences their decision-making process as well as fear of discrimination from healthcare providers and settings. The research aim of this project is to develop an online contraceptive decision aid tailored to transgender and gender-nonconforming AFAB individuals. MyChoiceForAll is built using the gaps identified in healthcare research and existing resources provided by Planned Parenthood and Bedsider, alongside feedback from a development focus group. The tool is a four-paged quiz that returns two pages of information and resources for a variety of different contraceptive methods for transgender and gender-nonconforming AFAB individuals as well as connecting them to trans-friendly providers. The evaluation phase includes simulated test cases, a survey, and a second focus group to assess for accuracy, usefulness, usability, and general impressions of the tool. 94.3% of the 105 test cases resulted in an accurate recommendation that aligns with user input. Over 75.00% of survey participants overwhelmingly believed the MyChoiceForAll tool to be beneficial in providing appropriate and inclusive educational material about contraceptives, prompting users for relevant lifestyle, preferences, and gender identity decision factors, and being overall inclusive of users’ gender identity. Evaluation focus group participants believe that MyChoiceForAll performs better overall compared to the Planned Parenthood quiz, Bedsider matrix, and MyContraceptiveChoice in general impressions and inclusivity of transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals and their preferences. In conclusion, MyChoiceForAll accomplishes its goal of developing an accessible and inclusive resource for transgender and gender-nonconforming AFAB individuals in assisting with the birth control selection process.