LEXINGTON, Ky. — Following the re-election of President-elect Donald Trump, there has been a surge of Kentuckians seeking birth control options, even permanent forms like hysterectomies. There are concerns about abortion restrictions tightening under Trump’s second term. Women seeking reproductive procedures, like hysterectomies, often face obstacles to get it done.

What You Need To Know

  • According to Planned Parenthood, more people are looking for birth control options since the election

  •  People are concerned about abortion restrictions tightening under another Trump presidency

  •  Lists of gynecologists who will perform hysterectomies without the red tape have been passed around on social media

  • Women often face barriers to get a hysterectomy

Anne Goodman dealt with pain daily for approximately 20 years. She has Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, or PCOS, which caused her to get ovarian cysts that would rupture.

“I would have days where I would just need to be on my couch with a heating pad because I was in so much pain that I couldn’t move and it really affected my quality of life,” Goodman said.

In her twenties, Goodman sought information on getting a hysterectomy to get rid of the pain but says doctors shut that down.

“It was something that they wouldn’t even consider,” Goodman said. “They wouldn’t take me seriously about because of my age and my not having any kids.”

Goodman had a child at 29 years old. She tried looking into the procedure again, but was met with the same response.

“They just kept trying to give me birth control to try, medications to try, take ibuprofen, change your diet, do this, do that and they just never took it seriously,” Goodman said.

Spectrum News 1 has seen lists of gynecologists who will perform hysterectomies without the red tape are being shared on social media since Trump was re-elected. Many people are feeling uncertain about what reproductive rights will look like in the country once he takes office again.

“I think it’s so beautiful that in a time where we’re scared about losing our rights we also are taking the time to make lists for one another to say, ‘Here… if you want this done, this is where you can go to do it,’” Goodman said.

A recent report from Planned Parenthood found that there was a surge of appointment requests for long-acting reversible contraceptives after the election.

“In the week following the election, if we look at the same week in 2023 compared to the same week this year, we have seen a 1,000% increase in requests for appointments in Kentucky,” said Rebecca Gibron, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood’s Kentucky chapter.

Despite fears about abortion access under Trump’s second term, in a post on X from October he wrote, “I would not support a federal abortion ban, under any circumstances, and would, in fact, veto it.”

Goodman received a radical hysterectomy in 2022. She considered rescheduling her appointment because of some doubts, but when she heard Roe v. Wade may get overturned, she kept her appointment. The Dobbs’ decision came down eight days after her procedure.

“It was a lot of emotion,” Goodman said. “I just remember bursting into tears and being so glad that I hadn’t canceled my surgery or rescheduled it, but being so scared for other women.”

After a major abdominal surgery, Goodman says she felt less pain than she had felt for several years prior to the surgery.

“I got my quality of life back,” Goodman said. “I get to be a fun parent because I’m not in pain all the time.”

Goodman says that access to these kinds of reproductive procedures is a right and hopes they become more accessible for women.

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