Family Planning

Our team is devoted to helping all people navigate their complex family planning needs, like those who:

• Need miscarriage or abortion care  
• Feel their family is complete
• Want to live a childfree life
• Have complicated medical problems that may make it difficult to choose a birth control method

We offer the most up-to-date treatment options and can care for you both in-person and through telehealth. 

Contraceptives (birth control)

Contraceptives are devices, medications and actions designed to prevent a pregnancy. We can help you choose from many methods of contraceptives, like: 

• Hormonal methods: Pills, patches, rings, and shots are hormonal contraceptive methods. When used consistently and correctly, these methods are 99% effective. 
   
• Hormone-filled devices: Implants and IUDs are hormone-filled devices used to prevent pregnancy. Both methods are more than 99% effective and can last for years at a time. 
  • An implant is a small rod-shaped device we implant just below the skin of your upper arm. It releases the hormone progestin into your bloodstream to prevent pregnancy for 3 years.  
  • An IUD is a T-shaped device about the size of a paper clip that’s inserted in your uterus. IUDs contain hormones like progesterone and sometimes estrogen that may prevent an egg from being released or sperm from entering the uterus. An IUD can remain in place for up to 8 years.  
     
• Non-hormonal methods: Examples of non-hormonal methods include copper IUDs that create a toxic environment for sperm or barrier methods (condoms, cervical caps and diaphragms) which block sperm from entering the uterus. 
   
• Emergency contraception (the morning-after option): We typically use either pills or IUDs to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex or contraceptive failure.  

If you are concerned about pain during birth control insertion, we offer localized numbing medicine or sedation. We are here to help you choose the contraception and plan that is best for you.  

Miscarriage + fetal loss

A miscarriage and fetal death are unexpected pregnancy losses. These can happen for a variety of reasons, including: 

• A weakened cervix
• Genetic abnormalities in the fetus, like an extra or missing chromosome
• Infections
• Anomalies in the uterus (fibroids, septums, etc.)
• Premature rupture of membranes (the water sac around the pregnancy) 

Experiencing a miscarriage can be heartbreaking, and it's not something you need to face alone. Unfortunately, up to 1 in 4 pregnancies will miscarry, with most occurring during the first trimester (first 12 weeks).

We offer medication or surgical management of miscarriage and fetal loss depending on your personal choice and health needs. In some cases, we are able to offer telehealth appointments for miscarriage management. 

If you experience more than 2 miscarriages, something else may be affecting your reproductive health. We work closely with Maternal Fetal Medicine to provide comprehensive genetic counseling and guidance in planning future pregnancies.  

Sterilization

If you’ve decided your family is complete or to live a child-free life, you may be interested in a more permanent form of contraception, like sterilization. We offer the latest, minimally invasive sterilization methods for women and AFAB so that you can get back to your daily activities with minimal pain and recovery time.

• For women and persons assigned female at birth (AFAB), that means blocking or cutting the fallopian tubes (sometimes called “getting your tubes tied”) to prevent pregnancy. 
• For assigned males at birth (AMAB), you can opt for cutting or tying the vas deferens, also known as getting a vasectomy.  

Termination of pregnancy (abortion)

Abortion is the process of ending a pregnancy before the fetus can survive outside the womb. We offer both medical and surgical abortion options for first and second trimesters.

• Medical abortions are typically available up to 11 weeks of pregnancy.
• Surgical abortions are provided up to the legal limit in Massachusetts.

We strive to offer a pain-free surgical abortion experience. For those who prefer care in the privacy of their own homes, we also provide telehealth appointments for medication abortion. This procedure is carried out using pharmaceutical drugs instead of surgery.

For those seeking to end a pregnancy due to a fetal or maternal condition, we work closely with high-risk obstetricians and genetic counselors to make sure you have the information you need for this and future pregnancies.  

if you are seeking an abortion you can trust we'll protect your health and privacy.