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Open research questions in Reproductive Health and Contraception

656 gap statements mined from Reproductive Health and Contraception papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 6,067 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

Choosing where to publish on Reproductive Health and Contraception? See the ranked Medicine journals.

What the literature leaves open

  • There is a gap in understanding contemporary shifts in surgical abortion. Existing scholarship has privileged medical abortion, leaving surgical abortion comparatively understudied. The paper identifies a need for further empirical research on the infrastructural conditions shaping available abortion options.

    Reconfiguring Abortion Infrastructures: An STS Analysis of Trends in Medical and Surgical Abortion in Post‐Legalisation Contexts · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of prospective adverse drug reaction surveillance data from the Indian subcontinent. The need for rigorous characterization of the adverse drug reaction profile of oral contraceptive pills in the local clinical context. The gap in understanding the temporal pattern of adverse drug reactions among oral contraceptive pill users.

    High prevalence of adverse drug reactions among oral contraceptive pill users in Western India: a prospective observational study · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should include a wider range of countries and health system settings while maintaining a specific focus on young people aged 15-24 years. Further studies should examine how stigma, economic constraints, provider attitudes, limited information and policy uncertainty interact rather than treating them as independent barriers.

    Barriers to Safe Abortion and Reproductive Health Services Among Youth in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap in current research is the need to identify and understand the barriers to safe abortion and reproductive health services among youth in low- and middle-income countries. There is a lack of knowledge on the sociocultural and structural barriers limiting access to reproductive health services among youth in these countries.

    Barriers to Safe Abortion and Reproductive Health Services Among Youth in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap identified is the lack of consideration for prescriber level differences and the limited effect of the intervention, which might indicate structural or educational misalignments. The paper also highlights the need for system-based safeguards such as EHR alerts and mandatory consent fields.

    Insights on “informed consent and contraception when prescribing valproate to individuals of childbearing potential: a quality improvement project” · 2026 · DOI

  • Little is known about the associations between extreme weather events (drought and heavy rains) and adolescent family planning.

    Extreme Weather Events and Adolescent Contraception in Sub-Saharan Africa · 2026 · DOI

  • Most studies were retrospective and were conducted several decades ago; moreover, they have reported inconsistent findings.

    Association between tubal ligation and hysterectomy: Findings from a prospective cohort study · 2026 · DOI

  • Risk stratification should prioritise gestational age, parity and previous caesarean section rather than BMI alone, noting limited data for very high BMI categories.

    Body mass index and major surgical complications in outpatient surgical abortion: an Australia-wide case–control study · 2026 · DOI

  • Existing population-based evidence of social inequalities in miscarriage risk is inconsistent, partly due to a lack of data.

    Social patterns of miscarriage reporting and risk: insights from survey data in France · 2025 · DOI

  • Most patients report some pain during this procedure, yet health care provider (HCP) perspectives on pain management during IUD insertions is not well understood.

    This might hurt: Healthcare provider’s experience of managing pain during intrauterine device insertions in Victoria, Australia · 2025 · DOI

  • Although economic empowerment and gender equality are recognised as key predictors, their individual and combined effects on unintended pregnancies in this region remain insufficiently explored.

    Unintended pregnancies in the Global South: The role of gender equality and economic empowerment · 2025 · DOI

  • Female sex hormones as well as the synthetic hormones contained within combined oral contraceptives (COCs) may influence emotional and cognitive functioning including learning and memory; however, findings are inconsistent.

    Effect of combined oral contraceptive use on verbal memory function in healthy women · 2025 · DOI

  • Data on healthcare professionals' guidance for women with IBD regarding contraception are scarce.

    Knowledge, Values, and Preferences Regarding Contraceptive Choices Among Women Living With Inflammatory Bowel Disease · 2024 · DOI

  • While hormonal contraceptives (HCs) like oral contraceptive pills (OCs) and intrauterine devices (IUDs) can reportedly influence mood, the evidence is mixed, and the mechanisms remain unclear.

    Emotion and birth control: Emotion regulation ERPs differ based on menstrual cycle phase and hormonal contraceptive use · 2024 · DOI

  • Recent research has increasingly acknowledged the impact of oral contraceptives on affective behavior and stress responses; however, the underlying mechanisms are still not well understood.

    Reduced threat avoidance but increased stress induced approach bias in women taking oral contraceptives · 2024 · DOI

  • Time constraints, limited access to training, limited financial support, and the lack of guidelines for postnatal checks and contraception care were seen as impeding postpartum contraception counselling.

    General practitioners’ views and experiences of postpartum contraception counselling and provision: a qualitative–descriptive study · 2024 · DOI

  • The study notes that inequities in FP services can be addressed through deliberate and carefully designed policies and initiatives.

    Equity of family planning at service delivery points in Uganda · 2026 · DOI

  • The sample was predominantly highly educated and recruited via digital platforms, introducing likely self-selection bias; findings should therefore be interpreted with caution and may not be representative of all affected women.

    Early pregnancy loss: A survey of healthcare experiences and perceived support in Germany · 2026 · DOI

  • Research indicates that IUD insertion is frequently experienced as highly painful - an aspect often underrecognized by clinicians - particularly among younger, nulliparous women.

    Low pain scores and high feasibility: the modified Wiebe block for pain reduction during IUD insertion · 2026 · DOI

  • Existing evidence on the association between body mass index (BMI) and surgical abortion complications is inconclusive and derives exclusively from retrospective cohort studies conducted in the United States of America, often underpowered for uncommon surgical outcomes.

    Body mass index and major surgical complications in outpatient surgical abortion: an Australia-wide case–control study · 2026 · DOI

  • Approach to pain management for IUD insertion varies significantly among providers, and there is no standardized approach to comfort optimization.

    IUDs and pain control for adolescents and young adults · 2025 · DOI

  • We examine whether miscarriages are underreported in a French nationally representative survey, FECOND (2010-11), and analyse socioeconomic risk factors for miscarriage.

    Social patterns of miscarriage reporting and risk: insights from survey data in France · 2025 · DOI

  • The study does not assess whether the intervention had an impact on patient awareness - The intervention lacked system-based safeguards such as EHR alerts - Counseling quality, patient outcomes, and prescriber differences were not…

    Insights on “informed consent and contraception when prescribing valproate to individuals of childbearing potential: a quality improvement project” · 2026 · DOI

  • During the abortion procedure, women described insufficient information about the intervention, inadequate pain management, denial or improper administration of anaesthesia, and impersonal or unsympathetic treatment during recovery.

    Deficiencies in social and health care during voluntary termination of pregnancy in Spain: women’s experiences and perceptions · 2026 · DOI

  • Knowledge of state-mandated reporting requirements varied widely, contributing to anxiety, misinterpretation of the law, and defensive clinical behaviors.

    Impact of Abortion Bans on Emergency Care for Patients With Vaginal Bleeding: An Ethnographic Analysis · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Reproductive Health and Contraception

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) The lack of prospective adverse drug reaction surveillance data from the Indian subcontinent (“High prevalence of adverse drug reactions among oral contraceptive pill users…”, 2026); (2) Future research should include a wider range of countries and health system settings while maintaining a specific focus on young people aged 15-24 years (“Barriers to Safe Abortion and Reproductive Health Services Among Youth in Low-…”, 2026); (3) The gap identified is the lack of consideration for prescriber level differences and the limited effect of the intervention, which might indicate structural or educational misalignments (“Insights on “informed consent and contraception when prescribing valproate to…”, 2026); (4) Little is known about the associations between extreme weather events (drought and heavy rains) and adolescent family planning (“Extreme Weather Events and Adolescent Contraception in Sub-Saharan Africa”, 2026); (5) Existing population-based evidence of social inequalities in miscarriage risk is inconsistent, partly due to a lack of data (“Social patterns of miscarriage reporting and risk: insights from survey data in…”, 2025). 656 gap statements have been mined from Reproductive Health and Contraception papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 6,067 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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