Clinical trials provide birth control for qualified females, helping those left in wake of Title X.
SEATTLE, WA – A recent policy change may leave some low-income women without birth control, but local physicians say clinical trials may provide a new option.
Title X funding provides clinics the ability to offer contraception, counseling, well-women exams, breast and cervical cancer screenings and testing for sexually transmitted infections as well as appropriate referrals. The new rule restricts medical providers from providing accurate information to their patients.
Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organization that provides low or no-cost reproductive healthcare to millions across the country, announced late last week that they are pulling out of the Title X funding program. The withdrawal of Planned Parenthood is due to changes in policy which prevents clinicians from sharing the full spectrum of necessary medical information necessary for patients to make fully informed medical decisions about their health.
Title X is said to give Planned Parenthood more than 60 million dollars a year in federal funding and serves over four million women, almost half of which are uninsured according to the federal Office of Population Affairs.
Organizations that have historically received Title X funding are a valuable resource for all women. With the withdrawal of Title X funding we are concerned that women will not receive important preventive services or birth control,” says gynecologist, Dr. Robin Kroll of Seattle Clinical Research.
Many women previously utilizing Planned Parenthood facilities may be forced to go without the care and services they need, including birth control options.
Kroll says that women needing birth control may benefit by getting involved in clinical trials, which provide health screening and investigational birth control options (including IUDs and pills), at no cost.
“Over the years we have been able to provide well woman care, Pap smears, STI testing, mammograms and contraceptive care to hundreds of women at no cost, when they participate in a clinical trial.”
To learn more about birth control studies, click here. Those that take part in clinical trials are seen by board-certified gynecologists, have access to birth control at no cost and may receive compensation for time and travel.
For more information about Title X restrictions:
https://www.acog.org/About-ACOG/News-Room/News-Releases/2018/Top-on-Title-X
About Seattle Clinical Research Center:
Seattle Clinical Research Center is dedicated to providing exemplary health care for women of all ages. We offer a unique practice that integrates preventative care and medical treatment in addition to cutting-edge research. Our approach creates a standard of excellence in the specialized care of women. The office is led by Robin Kroll, MD, a recognized leader in women’s healthcare and research.
