Rose Stevens

My DPhil focuses on exploring whether side-effects from hormonal contraception arise from a mismatch between women’s natural levels of reproductive hormones and exogenous hormones in hormonal contraception. I will use an evolutionary public health approach to investigate factors affecting natural variation in progesterone levels across different socioecological contexts in Ethiopia and how they impact the burden of side-effects a woman experiences. I am generally interested in reproductive and sexual health and rights and whether contraceptive design adequately takes into account women’s opinions and physiologies. 

Areas: Evolutionary Medicine and Public Health; 

Topics: Reproductive and Sexual Health; Reproductive Ecology; Contraceptive technology 

PhD Advisors: Alexandra Alvergne

Project: What causes contraceptive side-effects? Testing the hormonal mismatch hypothesis in Ethiopia.