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Guttmacher Institute

Good reproductive health policy starts with credible research

 

Donate Now

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Email

Highlights

  • Roe v. Wade in Peril
  • COVID-19 impact
  • Reproductive Health Impact Study
  • Adding It Up
  • Abortion Worldwide
  • Guttmacher-Lancet Commission
  • U.S. policy resources
  • State policy resources
  • State legislation tracker

Reports

  • Global
  • U.S.

Articles

  • Global research
  • U.S. research
  • Policy analysis
  • Guttmacher Policy Review
  • Op-eds & external blogs

Fact Sheets

  • Global
  • U.S.
  • U.S. State Laws and Policies

Data & Visualizations

  • Data center
  • Infographics
  • Public-use data sets

Peer-Reviewed Journals

  • International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health

Global

  • Abortion
  • Contraception
  • HIV & STIs
  • Pregnancy
  • Teens

U.S.

  • Abortion
  • Contraception
  • HIV & STIs
  • Pregnancy
  • Teens

Our Work By Geography

  • Global
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America & the Caribbean
  • Northern America
  • Oceania

Who We Are

  • About
  • Staff
  • Board
  • Job opportunities
  • History
  • Contact
  • Conflict of Interest Policy

Media

  • Media office
  • News releases

Support Our Work

  • Make a gift today
  • Monthly Giving Circle
  • Donate stock or securites
  • Guttmacher Legacy Circle
  • Financials
  • Annual Report

Awards and Scholarships

  • Darroch Award
  • Richards Scholarship
  • Bixby Fellowship

Search form

All Staff

Megan L. Kavanaugh

Principal Research Scientist
PDF icon Curriculum Vitae

Megan Kavanaugh joined the Guttmacher Institute in 2008 as a Charlotte Ellertson Social Science Postdoctoral Fellow in Abortion and Reproductive Health. She became a Senior Research Scientist in 2010 and a Principal Research Scientist in 2017. Dr. Kavanaugh’s research portfolio has focused on contraceptive use and service delivery, unintended pregnancy and abortion. She has training in both quantitative and qualitative research methods, which she has applied to her most recent studies tracking national trends in contraceptive use, examining the consequences of unintended pregnancy and understanding the impact of travel on women seeking abortions.

In 2006, Dr. Kavanaugh was awarded the Gary Stewart Scholarship for Research in Public Health from the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, and in 2015 she was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for Early Career Excellence by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. She earned DrPH and MPH degrees, with specializations in behavioral and community health, and a master’s certificate in women’s studies, all from the University of Pittsburgh; she also holds a BS in bioengineering from Cornell University. Dr. Kavanaugh serves on the board of directors of the Society of Family Planning and is a member of the American Public Health Association, the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals and the Population Association of America. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of General Internal Medicine and affiliated with the Center for Women’s Health Research and Innovation (CWHRI) at the University of Pittsburgh.

Selected Publications For a full list of publications by Megan L. Kavanaugh, download CV.

  • May 2022 Research Article

    Associations between unfulfilled contraceptive preferences due to cost and low-income patients’ access to and experiences of contraceptive care in the United States, 2015-2019

    Contraception: X

    United States

    • Contraception
  • February 2022 Research Article

    Financial Instability and Delays in Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Due to COVID-19

    Journal of Women's Health

    United States

    • Contraception
  • May 2021 Research Article

    Changes in Use of Emergency Contraceptive Pills in the United States from 2008-2015

    Contraception: X

    United States

    • Contraception
  • February 2021 Research Article

    Use of concurrent multiple methods of contraception in the United States, 2008 to 2015

    Contraception: X

    United States

    • Contraception
  • December 2020 Report

    State-Level Estimates of Contraceptive Use in the United States, 2019

    United States

    • Contraception
  • July 2020 Research Article

    Use of contraception among reproductive-aged women in the United States, 2014 and 2016

    F&S Reports

    United States

    • Contraception
  • December 2019 Research Article

    Health insurance coverage and contraceptive use at the state level: findings from the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

    Contraception: X

    United States

    • Contraception
  • July 2019 Research Article

    Challenges and strategies for contraceptive care in independent abortion clinics in the United States, 2017

    Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare

    United States

    • Abortion
    • Contraception
  • April 2019 Research Article

    “It’s not something you talk about really”: Information barriers encountered by women who travel long distances for abortion care

    Contraception

    United States

    • Abortion
  • December 2018 Report

    State-Level Estimates of Contraceptive Use in the United States, 2017

    United States

    • Contraception
  • June 2018 Research Article

    Use of Health Insurance Among Clients Seeking Contraceptive Services at Title X–Funded Facilities in 2016

    Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • May 2018 Research Article

    Historical Record-Setting Trends in IUD Use in the USA

  • November 2017 Research Article

    Insurance-Related Practices at Title X-Funded Family Planning Centers under the Affordable Care Act: Survey and Interview Findings

    Women's Health Issues

    United States

    • Contraception
  • October 2017 Research Article

    Contraceptive method use in the United States: Trends and characteristics between 2008, 2012 and 2014

    Contraception

    United States

    • Contraception
  • April 2017 Research Article

    Barriers to Abortion Care and Their Consequences For Patients Traveling for Services: Qualitative Findings from Two States

    Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health

    United States

    • Abortion
  • December 2016 Research Article

    Parents’ experience of unintended childbearing: A qualitative study of factors that mitigate or exacerbate effects

    Social Science and Medicine

    United States

    • Pregnancy
  • November 2015 Research Article

    Changes in use of long-acting reversible contraceptive methods among United States women, 2009-2012

    Obstetrics & Gynecology

    United States

    • Contraception
    • Pregnancy
    • Teens
  • September 2015 Research Article

    Changes in out-of-pocket costs for hormonal IUDs after implementation of the Affordable Care Act: an analysis of insurance benefit inquiries

    Contraception

    United States

    • Contraception
  • January 2015 Research Article

    Does state-level context matter for individuals' knowledge about abortion, legality and health? Challenging the ‘red states v. blue states’ hypothesis

    Culture, Health & Sexuality: An International Journal for Research, Intervention and Care

    United States

    • Abortion
  • August 2014 Research Article

    Bucking social norms: Examining anomalous fertility aspirations in the face of HIV in Lusaka, Zambia

    Social Science and Medicine

    Global

    • HIV & STIs
  • July 2013 Report

    Contraception and Beyond: The Health Benefits of Services Provided at Family Planning Centers

    United States

    • Contraception
  • July 2013 Research Article

    Connecting Knowledge about Abortion and Sexual and Reproductive Health to Belief about Abortion Restrictions: Findings from an Online Survey

    Women's Health Issues

    United States

    • Abortion
  • March 2013 Report

    The Social and Economic Benefits of Women’s Ability To Determine Whether and When to Have Children

    Global

    • Abortion
  • March 2013 Research Article

    Meeting the Contraceptive Needs of Teens and Young Adults: Youth-Friendly and Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive Services in U.S. Family Planning Facilities

    Journal of Adolescent Health

    United States

    • Contraception
    • Teens
  • December 2012 Research Article

    Long-acting Reversible Contraception for Adolescents and Young Adults: Patient and Provider Perspectives

    United States

    • Contraception
    • Teens
  • November 2012 Research Article

    Community attitudes towards childbearing and abortion among HIV-positive women in Nigeria and Zambia

    Culture, Health & Sexuality: An International Journal for Research, Intervention and Care

    Global

    • HIV & STIs
    • Pregnancy
  • July 2012 Research Article

    Changes in use of long-acting contraceptive methods in the United States, 2007–2009

    Fertility and Sterility

    United States

    • Contraception
  • June 2011 Research Article

    Factors influencing partners' involvement in women's contraceptive services

    Contraception

    United States

    • Contraception
  • June 2011 Research Article

    Characteristics of Women in the United States Who Use Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive Methods

    Obstetrics & Gynecology

    United States

    • Contraception
  • June 2011 Research Article

    Changes in Abortion Rates Between 2000 and 2008 and Lifetime Incidence of Abortion

    Obstetrics & Gynecology

    United States

    • Abortion
  • May 2011 Research Article

    Patients' attitudes and experiences related to receiving contraception during abortion care

    Contraception

    United States

    • Contraception
  • May 2011 Research Article

    Perceived and Insurance-Related Barriers to the Provision of Contraceptive Services in U.S. Abortion Care Settings

    Women's Health Issues

    United States

    • Abortion
  • May 2011 Research Article

    Abortion Stigma: A Reconceptualization of Constituents, Causes, and Consequences

    Women's Health Issues

    United States

    • Abortion
  • April 2011 Research Article

    Emergency contraception use and counseling after changes in United States prescription status

    Fertility and Sterility

    United States

    • Contraception
  • October 2010 Research Article

    How commonly do U.S. abortion clinics offer contraceptive services?

    Contraception

    United States

    • Abortion
    • Contraception
  • December 2009 Research Article

    Prospective Assessment of Pregnancy Intentions Using a Single- Versus a Multi-Item Measure

    Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
  • June 2008 Research Article

    Counseling About and Use of Emergency Contraception in the United States

    Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health
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