Clinical Services
We know family planning may be a critical step in a woman’s life and our goal is to guide any woman seeking help. Faculty, fellows, and staff members in the Center for Complex Family Planning and Contraception conduct a wide variety of clinical and basic science research projects to ensure we are giving the proper care and treatment to our patients when providing consultation or conducting procedures.
Clinical services we offer:
Clinical services we offer:
Complex Contraception Clinic
The complex contraception clinic offers consultations for patients whose medical issues or intolerance of birth control methods make contraception a challenge. Many of the clinic's patients have severe neurologic disease such as stroke or seizures, heart disease, complicated diabetes or have undergone transplantation of vital organs.
Physicians in the clinic offer advice for both the patient and the patient's referring physician, helping them navigate interactions between ongoing medications and chosen contraceptive regimens. Cassing Hammond, MD, and Catherine Stika, MD, staff the clinic.
Primary Contraception Services
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Complex Family Planning and Contraception provides all modern methods of contraception including:
Pregnancy Options Counseling
Couples faced with abnormal or unexpected pregnancies often need information on pregnancy options. The Northwestern Medicine Center for Complex Family Planning and Contraception provides comprehensive counseling in such cases.
Pregnancy Termination
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Complex Family Planning and Contraception offers surgical and medical pregnancy choice options through 24 weeks of pregnancy. A majority of Northwestern Medicine's second trimester patients confront severely troubled pregnancies due to maternal illness or fetal anomalies.
Management of Miscarriage
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Complex Family Planning and Contraception provides treatment of first and second trimester miscarriage by surgery or medication.
The complex contraception clinic offers consultations for patients whose medical issues or intolerance of birth control methods make contraception a challenge. Many of the clinic's patients have severe neurologic disease such as stroke or seizures, heart disease, complicated diabetes or have undergone transplantation of vital organs.
Physicians in the clinic offer advice for both the patient and the patient's referring physician, helping them navigate interactions between ongoing medications and chosen contraceptive regimens. Cassing Hammond, MD, and Catherine Stika, MD, staff the clinic.
Primary Contraception Services
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Complex Family Planning and Contraception provides all modern methods of contraception including:
- Oral contraceptive pills, NuvaRing™, OrthoEvra™ patch
- Depo-Provera injections
- Nexplanon™ contraceptive implant
- Intrauterine devices including Paragard™ and Mirena™
- Sterilization procedures:
- Laparoscopic tubal ligation
- Hysteroscopic sterilization/Essure™ implant
Pregnancy Options Counseling
Couples faced with abnormal or unexpected pregnancies often need information on pregnancy options. The Northwestern Medicine Center for Complex Family Planning and Contraception provides comprehensive counseling in such cases.
Pregnancy Termination
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Complex Family Planning and Contraception offers surgical and medical pregnancy choice options through 24 weeks of pregnancy. A majority of Northwestern Medicine's second trimester patients confront severely troubled pregnancies due to maternal illness or fetal anomalies.
- First trimester pregnancy termination using Mifepristone/Misoprostol
- First trimester surgical abortion
- Second trimester dilation and evacuation
- Second trimester induction of labor
Management of Miscarriage
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Complex Family Planning and Contraception provides treatment of first and second trimester miscarriage by surgery or medication.
Education
The Northwestern Medicine Center for Complex Family Planning and Contraception hosts two of Feinberg School of Medicine's academic programs:
Ryan Program in Family Planning and Contraception
The Kenneth J. Ryan Residency Training Program is a specialized curriculum devoted to teaching residents the most up-to-date, evidence-based practices in family planning and contraception.
Consistent with the ACGME Program Requirements for Residency Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology, our faculty strives to optimize family planning and contraception training for our residents. Third-year residents participate in a combined family planning and reproductive genetics rotation, during which they gain experience in complex contraceptive management, surgical sterilization procedures, genetic counseling and abortion care, including management of abortion complications.
Fellowship in Complex Family Planning
Fellowships in complex family planning train physician-leaders in family planning research, education and clinical practice. During the two-year program fellows receive extensive training in all aspects of contraception and abortion care.
They also receive mentoring in clinical and epidemiologic research, perform an international field experience and connect with an expanding network of national family-planning experts. All of Northwestern Medicine's fellows have completed an approved residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology prior to their fellowship.
Most complete a Masters Degree in Public Health during the course of the fellowship program as well as a research thesis in family planning. Since its inception in 2002, Northwestern Medicine's fellowship graduates have gone on to lead other fellowship and residency family planning programs at major US and European academic medical centers and to work for organizations such as the World Health Organization.
Ryan Program in Family Planning and Contraception
The Kenneth J. Ryan Residency Training Program is a specialized curriculum devoted to teaching residents the most up-to-date, evidence-based practices in family planning and contraception.
Consistent with the ACGME Program Requirements for Residency Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology, our faculty strives to optimize family planning and contraception training for our residents. Third-year residents participate in a combined family planning and reproductive genetics rotation, during which they gain experience in complex contraceptive management, surgical sterilization procedures, genetic counseling and abortion care, including management of abortion complications.
Fellowship in Complex Family Planning
Fellowships in complex family planning train physician-leaders in family planning research, education and clinical practice. During the two-year program fellows receive extensive training in all aspects of contraception and abortion care.
They also receive mentoring in clinical and epidemiologic research, perform an international field experience and connect with an expanding network of national family-planning experts. All of Northwestern Medicine's fellows have completed an approved residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology prior to their fellowship.
Most complete a Masters Degree in Public Health during the course of the fellowship program as well as a research thesis in family planning. Since its inception in 2002, Northwestern Medicine's fellowship graduates have gone on to lead other fellowship and residency family planning programs at major US and European academic medical centers and to work for organizations such as the World Health Organization.