Young people's support for and personal interest in an advance provision model for medication abortion.

PURPOSE: To assess young people's interest in advance provision (AP) of medication abortion- receiving mifepristone and misoprostol from a clinician in advance for their future use.

METHODS: From November 2022-August 2023 we administered an electronic survey regarding advance provision to patients assigned female at birth at four Bay Area youth-serving clinics.

RESULTS: Among 152 people ages 14-24 years (mean 17.9) surveyed, 73.7% (95% CI, 65.9%-80.5%) supported and 46.1% (95% CI, 65.9%-80.5%) were interested in the AP model. AP interest was higher among people who experienced three or more difficulties trying to access reproductive healthcare [70.6% (95% CI 44.0%, 89.7%)] and who experienced food or housing insecurity [60.3% (95% CI 46.6%, 73.0%)]. Most youth (81.6%) had a safe place to store the pills for later use; this proportion was significantly higher among people ages 18-24 years (88.5%) than teens ages 14-17 years (74.3%, p=.025). The most common perceived advantages of AP included being able to have the abortion earlier in pregnancy (61.8%), privacy (57.9%) and convenience (50.7%). Common disadvantages noted included concern that people might take the pills incorrectly (50.0%) or lose the pills (40.1%).

CONCLUSIONS: Young people have considerable interest in AP of medication abortion. Further research is needed to document the AP model's feasibility, clinical outcomes, and effect on access for adolescents.