University of Pittsburgh researchers have developed an easy-to-use web-based decision aid to help pregnant individuals who are considering tubal sterilization to make informed decisions about their reproductive health, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.
“When patients are making decisions about their health and fertility, we want to make certain they make them based on facts,” says Sonya Borrero, professor of medicine and of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences, School of Medicine; of clinical and translational science; and founding director of the Center for Innovative Research on Gender Health Equity (CONVERGE) at Pitt. “From there, they can take the step most aligned with their preferences and values.”
Tubal sterilization, often referred to as getting one’s “tubes tied,” is a common and permanent form of birth control that involves removing or blocking the fallopian tubes with heat, clamps or rings. Among Black, brown, and low-income individuals in particular, there is a fraught history with sterilization procedures, including both coercive sterilization as well as significant barriers to a desired procedure.
Borrero and her team developed the decision aid, called MyDecision/MiDecisión, with input from people with lived experience, bioethicists and reproductive health advocates.
It is available in English and Spanish and includes written, audio and video information about tubal sterilization, an interactive table comparing contraceptive options, values-clarifying exercises and knowledge checks.
Read more in the news release.