Research
At Women on Web, we take pride in our rigorous scientific research, user-driven innovation, and evidence-based protocols around abortion care, closely aligning our services with the World Health Organization’s guidelines.
World Health Organization’s guidelines
Our commitment to evidence-driven, compassionate abortion care is reflected both in our own ground-breaking research and our collaborations with universities, individuals, and collectives worldwide. These efforts strengthen the foundation for evidence-based advocacy and policymaking on abortion care in many parts of the world.
Research is at the heart of everything we do. It informs our outreach, services, and advocacy. We share our data with local groups to support their efforts to expand abortion access and influence decision-makers.
Our pioneering research on telemedicine and self-managed abortion care has consistently demonstrated the safety, efficacy, and acceptability of these models of care. Finally, our studies on online abortion trajectories in restrictive environments have been instrumental in informing legal reforms, and regulatory changes and expanding access where it’s needed most.
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New research shows that requests online abortion service Women on Web are highest in USA states with restrictions to abortion access
New research by Abigail Aiken from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin published in the American Journal of Public Health showed that during a 10-month period,…
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Women on Web Telemedical Abortion Services in Indonesia and Malaysia
The restrictive abortion law in Indonesia and Malaysia doesn’t prevent any abortion. This research analyses the data from women who contacted Women on Web service in 2015. The Women on…
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Positive experiences by Irish women using online abortion service Women on Web
The study analysed demographics of 5,650 women requesting medical abortion between 2010 and 2015, and the experiences of 1,023 women who completed abortion from January 2010 to December 2012. Results…
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Requests for Abortion in Latin America Related to Concern about Zika Virus Exposure, NEJM 6-2016
A new study published yesterday in The New England Journal of Medicine by a group of researchers from the University of Texas, Princeton, Cambridge and the NGO Women on Web…
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Obstacles to abortion access in the Netherlands shown in new research
Some women living in the Netherlands cannot access abortion services in clinics. During a 9 months period 172 women living in the Netherlands completed the online consultation from Women on…
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A telemedicine model for abortion in South Africa
Women on Web’s research collaboration in South Africa was focused on creating a controlled, randomized trial which compared standard abortion care with a telemedicine model for those seeking medical abortion.…
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Japanese Women’s Experiences of Bleeding and Pain with Medical Abortion
Current restrictions on abortion access in Japan make it difficult to access medical abortion. However, the self-reported experiences of Japanese women accessing mifepristone and misoprostol through Women on Web’s telemedicine…
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COVID-19 has reduced access to abortion services and increased the demand for telemedicine provision
The COVID-19 pandemic has restricted access to reproductive health services worldwide, while telemedicine has provided a solution to overcoming long-standing access barriers. This study analyses the abortion requests made through…
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The impact of local telemedicine provision on the need for online abortion services in Ireland
Abortion has been legal in Ireland since 2019 and the telemedicine abortion services were introduced in April 2020, soon after the pandemic had started. This study looks at the patterns…
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Telemedicine as an alternative way to access abortion in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic
In this article Women on Web examines the reasons that led users to turn to the Women on Web telemedicine service, and how the pandemic has affected this. Access to…
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PRESS RELEASE | Telemedicine can help improve access to abortion in France, a new study suggests
For immediate release 29/07/2021 A new study published in the British Medical Journal Sexual & Reproductive Health suggests that telemedicine abortion provision, a temporary measure which is allowed in France…
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10-year evaluation of the use of self-managed abortion through telemedicine: A retrospective cohort study
This retrospective study analyzes the follow-up evaluations of 30,344 service users of Women on Web over a 10-year period, from January 2009 to January 2020. The final analysis consisted of…
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Medical abortion at 13 or more weeks gestation provided through telemedicine: A retrospective review of services
An analysis of the efficacy of self-administered medical abortion for pregnancies 13 weeks and later. Women on Web analyzed medical abortions prescribed for pregnancies at 13 weeks or more between…
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Addressing the urgent global need for later abortion care during COVID-19 and beyond
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed global restrictions on travel, physical distancing, stay-at-home orders, and additional strains have been placed on health care services. The pandemic has also created additional barriers…
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Demand for Self-Managed Medication Abortion Through an Online Telemedicine Service in the United States
An analysis of abortion access in the United States. This study analyzed data amassed by Women on Web that assessed medical abortion request rates from the United States between October…
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Demand for self-managed online telemedicine abortion in eight European countries during the COVID-19 pandemic: a regression discontinuity analysis
A comparative look at the requests for self-managed telemedical abortion before and after COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. Patients seeking medical abortion services in many European countries are often still required to…
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Accessing abortion outside jurisdiction following legalisation of abortion in the Republic of Ireland
A look at telemedical abortion access immediately following abortion’s legalisation in Ireland. In January 2019, Ireland – after having some of the strictest abortion laws in the world – legalized…
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Abortion remains difficult to access in Germany
Abortion remains difficult to access for many individuals in Germany. New research conducted with Women on Web data demonstrates that women in Germany continue encountering various obstacles in accessing abortion…
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Policy Guidelines concerning safe abortion care
International Policy guidelines for safe abortion: Preventing unsafe abortion: evidence brief by the World Health Organisation 2019 Medical management of abortion by the WHO, 2018 Safe abortion, technical and policy…
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Telemedical abortion in settings where there is no access to safe services
Article: Using telemedicine for termination of pregnancy with mifepristone and misoprostol in settings where there is no access to safe services, BJOG 2008
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Online Abortion Service Women on Web: a vital alternative.
The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Texas in Austin, Princeton University and the University of Edinburgh. They looked at the data of 1,000 women in Ireland…
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Data from Women on Web show barriers to access abortion in Great Britain
New research into the data from the online medical abortion service Women on Web found that many women in Great Britain experience barriers to access including long waiting times, distance…
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New study of Women on Web data shows harm caused by restrictive abortion laws in Northern Ireland.
October 19th, 2018. Research showed that Northern Ireland’s strict abortion laws have negative consequences for women’s well-being. Even though women from Northern Ireland can now obtain free abortion services in…
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Experiences of women living in Hungary seeking a medical abortion online
On 22 Nov 2017, The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health care, published the scientific research about the experiences of women living in Hungary accessing medical abortions though Women…
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Reasons why women from the USA look for abortion pillls online
Women on Web helped identifying women who wanted to participate in a new research by Abigail Aiken that has just been published in Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health. The…
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Isle of Man, research of Women on Web
On January 23, 2018, the BMJ published research about the use of abortion pills obtained through Women on Web by women living on the Isle of Man. Public link to…
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Abortion services for women in the US military
U.S service women are often deployed in countries where abortion is illegal and U.S federal policy prohibits abortion services at medical treatment facilities. A new research paper described the provision…
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Regional differences in surgical intervention following medical termination of pregnancy provided by telemedicine.
Article: Regional differences in surgical intervention following medical termination of pregnancy provided by telemedicine. Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand 2012
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Abortion Restrictions in the U.S. Military: Voices from Women Deployed Overseas
Article: Abortion Restrictions in the U.S. Military: Voices from Women Deployed Overseas
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Telemedicine for medical abortion: a systematic review
March 14, 2019: The systematic review found that medical abortion through telemedicine seems to be highly acceptable to women and providers, success rate and safety outcomes are similar to those…
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Safety and acceptability of medical abortion above 9 weeks pregnancy
A new scientific study analyzing the outcomes of 615 women from Poland who used Women on Web found that more women with pregnancies of more than 9 weeks go to…
