ArticleSSM. Qualitative research in health2022
Experiences seeking, sourcing, and using abortion pills at home in the United States through an online telemedicine service.
Article in SSM. Qualitative research in health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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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
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- 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
- Acceptability of misoprostol-only medication abortion dispensed by mail-order or retail pharmacy: a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews in the United States.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2025Article
- Constructing criminality: a thematic analysis of national news media reporting on self-managed abortion criminalisation in the United States.Sexual and reproductive health matters · 2025Article
- Perspectives on options for self-sourcing medication abortion after implementation of Texas Senate Bill 8.Contraception · 2025Article
- Characteristics of people obtaining mifepristone and misoprostol and misoprostol-only telehealth medication abortion services in the United States.Contraception · 2025Article
- Using Natural Language Processing to Describe the Use of an Online Community for Abortion During 2022: Dynamic Topic Modeling Analysis of Reddit Posts.JMIR infodemiology · 2025Article
- Have Others Had This Experience? A Qualitative Analysis of Posts on Self-Managed Abortion to US-Based Reddit Community.Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health · 2025Article
- Imagining Coat-Hangers and Pills: A Qualitative Exploration of Abortion Beliefs and Attitudes in Hostile Policy Contexts in the United States.Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health · 2025Article
- Perceptions and experiences with two no-test direct-to-patient telehealth medication abortion regimens in the USA: an exploratory study with mifepristone and misoprostol and misoprostol-only regimens.BMJ public health · 2024Article
- Self-diagnosing the end of pregnancy after medication abortion.Culture, health & sexuality · 2024Article
- Medication abortion via digital health in the United States: a systematic scoping review.NPJ digital medicine · 2023Article
- Factors Associated With Knowledge and Experience of Self-managed Abortion Among Patients Seeking Care at 49 US Abortion Clinics.JAMA network open · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
A growing number of people in the United States seek to self-manage their abortions by self-sourcing abortion medications online. Prior research focuses on people's motivations for seeking self-management of abortion and experiences trying to obtain medications. However, little is known about the experiences of people in the U.S. who actually complete a self-managed abortion using medications they self-sourced online. We conducted anonymous in-depth interviews with 80 individuals who sought abortion medications through Aid Access, the only online telemedicine service that provides abortion medications in all 50 U.S. states. Through grounded theory analysis we identified five key themes: 1) participants viewed Aid Access as a "godsend"; 2) Fears of scams, shipping delays, and surveillance made ordering pills online a "nerve-racking" experience; 3) a "personal touch" calmed fears and fostered trust in Aid Access; 4) participants were worried about the "what ifs" of the self-managed abortion experience; and 5) overall, participants felt that online telemedicine met their important needs. Our findings demonstrate that online telemedicine provided by Aid Access not only provided a critical service, but also offered care that participants deemed legitimate and trustworthy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.