ArticlePerspectives on sexual and reproductive health2018
Motivations and Experiences of People Seeking Medication Abortion Online in the United States.
Article in Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 39 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
39 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The use of telemedicine services for medical abortion.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Why do they take the risk? A systematic review of the qualitative literature on informal sector abortions in settings where abortion is legal.BMC women's health · 2019Pooled it
- Trends in utilization of an anonymous abortion and miscarriage hotline before and afterLancet regional health. Americas · 2026Article
- Knowledge of Remote Medication Abortion Among Patients Traveling From States That Restrict Abortion.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Mexico-Based Accompaniment Collectives for Abortion in the US After Dobbs.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Exploring the Motivations and the Concerns Behind Self-Managed Medication Abortion Done by Purchasing Medication Online: Qualitative Interview Study With US Abortion Seekers Post-Roe.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Article
- "I'm Pregnant, What Do I Do?": Exploring How People Having Abortions in Britain Find and Use Online Sources of Information.Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health · 2025Article
- Abortion access barriers shared in "r/abortion" afterSexual and reproductive health matters · 2024Article
- Online Medication Abortion Direct-to-Patient Fulfillment Before and After the Dobbs v Jackson Decision.JAMA network open · 2024Article
- Self-diagnosing the end of pregnancy after medication abortion.Culture, health & sexuality · 2024Article
- Reach, experience, and acceptability of an abortion self-care intervention in Bolivia: a mixed-methods evaluation.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2023Article
- Analyzing User Reviews of the First Digital Contraceptive: Mixed Methods Study.Journal of medical Internet research · 2023Article
- Factors Associated With Knowledge and Experience of Self-managed Abortion Among Patients Seeking Care at 49 US Abortion Clinics.JAMA network open · 2023Article
- Abortion Policy in the United States: The New Legal Landscape and Its Threats to Health and Socioeconomic Well-Being.The Milbank quarterly · 2023Article
- News Media Coverage of the Problem of Purchasing Fake Prescription Medicines on the Internet: Thematic Analysis.JMIR formative research · 2023Article
- "Am I the Only One Who Feels Like This?": Needs Expressed Online by Abortion Seekers.Social work · 2023Article
- Self-managed abortion via the internet: Analysis of one year of service delivery data from Women Help Women.Gates open research · 2023Article
- Self-Managed Abortion in the United States.Current obstetrics and gynecology reports · 2023Review
- Reasons that lead people to buy prescription medicines on the internet: a systematic review.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2023Review
- Experiences seeking, sourcing, and using abortion pills at home in the United States through an online telemedicine service.SSM. Qualitative research in health · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
Abstract
contextState legislation restricting access to abortion in the clinic setting raises the possibility that an increasing number of individuals in the United States will self-manage their abortion at home. Medications sourced online represent a potential pathway to abortion self-management. Yet, very little is known about the reasons U.S. residents may seek abortion online or their experiences finding medications and information.
methodsIn January-June 2017, anonymous in-depth interviews were conducted with 32 people from 20 states who sought abortion medications online (30 women and two men seeking medications for their partners). Participants were asked about their (or their partners') motivations for considering self-managed abortion, the sources of medications they identified and any other methods they considered. Transcripts were coded and analyzed according to the principles of grounded theory.
resultsThe analysis revealed four key themes: Seeking abortion medications online can be a response to clinic access barriers both in states with and in ones without restrictive abortion laws; self-managed abortion can be a preference over clinical care; online options offer either information or medications, but not both; and the lack of trusted online options can delay care and lead to consideration of ineffective or unsafe alternatives.
conclusionCurrent online options for abortion medications leave many important needs unmet, particularly for women who encounter barriers to obtaining clinic-based abortion services. There is a public health justification to reduce clinic access barriers and to make medication abortion that is sourced online and managed at home as safe and supported as possible.
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