Division of Family Planning

Boston University and Boston Medical Center have a long history of providing comprehensive family planning and reproductive health care services to the community, as well as education in family planning for medical students and residents. Our collaborative division is comprised of physicians and nurse practitioners who provide full clinical services in contraception, early pregnancy failure, and abortion services, while also participating in cutting-edge clinical and social-behavioral science research.

Clinical Services

Our division provides complete family planning services including contraceptive counseling, pregnancy options counseling, miscarriage management care, and abortion. Our staff are all trained and highly specialized in the area of contraception and options counseling. Our abortion options include medication, outpatient surgical, and induction services. We offer the most up-to-date contraception options including intrauterine devices, hormonal implants, and permanent contraception, and specialized in caring for patients with complex medical needs.

The Gynecologic Procedure Unit is an ambulatory procedure space that enables us to provide efficient, safe, and compassionate care in a private setting with well-trained and supportive staff members. The unit is available for other minor gynecologic procedures including complicated IUD insertion and removal, operative hysteroscopy, and other minor procedures requiring sedation.

Research

Investigators in our division participate in both multicenter trials and investigator-initiated research. In addition to faculty studies, our physicians mentor fellows, residents, and students through projects of their own. Boston University is a member of the NICHD Contraceptive Clinical Trials Network (CCTN).

Research projects include a broad range of topics, including all aspects of clinical contraceptive use, new contraceptive methods, abortion techniques, behavioral assessments and assessment of decision-making, and evaluation of domestic family planning programs.

For more information, please contact us at rushina.pancholi@bmc.org

Education

Fellowship in Family Planning

The Fellowship in Family Planning at Boston University was founded in 2001 by Drs. Phillip Stubblefield and Lynn Borgatta. Family planning and pregnancy termination services were well established when the fellowship began, and the services remain central to the clinical services of the OB/GYN department. Since the fellowship’s inception, the clinical and research programs have continued to grow, and linkages with other departments and institutions have flourished. The program graduates fellows who become leaders in the field and has provided vital research in the areas of contraception and abortion.

The Fellowship in Family Planning is a two-year program following completion of an OB/GYN residency that enhances fellows’ knowledge and skills through their training in our diverse clinical programs as well as through their participation in clinical and epidemiologic research. They may also utilize Boston University’s research network and infrastructure resources.

Residency Training in Family Planning

Our division is a graduated recipient of the Kenneth J. Ryan training grant, which enabled us to develop dedicated resident and medical student training in all aspects of reproductive health care. As part of the program, residents on their family planning rotation participate in weekly didactics with structured learning about complex contraception, pregnancy failure, and abortion. Residents learn how to compassionately and nonjudgmentally guide a patient through an options counseling visit, and learn counseling skills in shared decision making, problem-solving and goal setting. They gain clinical skills in ultrasound, complex contraception, first and second medical and surgical abortion, and anesthesia for abortion and other outpatient procedures.

Fourth year elective in Family Planning

We offer a 1-month clinical elective available to fourth-year medical students. Students can participate in the counseling and provision of contraceptive methods in a variety of outpatient settings. Management of spontaneous, inevitable and induced abortion and post-abortion care by both surgical and medical techniques is included. The student should acquire skills in physical examination, provision of contraceptives, and experience with ultrasound in early pregnancy diagnosis. There is a didactic component which includes a section on public health implications of family planning and preservation of fertility and reproductive health. Students are also welcome to participate in ongoing contraceptive research projects. Successful completion of the core OB/GYN, Medicine and Surgery rotations are prerequisite. For additional email about the rotation, email the elective coordinator, makeba.kent@bmc.org

Advocacy

The division of family planning recognizes that the clinical scenario is only a small part of the patient’s story. To that end, we actively participate in advocacy efforts at all levels, including within the hospital, and local, state, and national government. Advocacy projects center on the principle of social justice ensuring safe, comprehensive and compassionate reproductive healthcare for all people.