Aaron Lazorwitz, MD, PhD

Aaron Lazorwitz, MD, PhD, is an obstetrician and gynecologist who subspecializes in complex family planning. He provides comprehensive reproductive health care, including complicated abortion procedures up to 24 weeks gestational age and complex contraceptive procedures such as difficult intrauterine device (IUD) and implant insertions and removals.

He removes contraceptive implants that are deep or non-palpable (due to migration or improper insertion) in a clinical setting, using self-directed ultrasound guidance. He also provides permanent contraception for those who want it. “Too many patients face barriers and uninformed physicians who will deny them a female sterilization procedure for the wrong reasons,” Dr. Lazorwitz says. “I am happy to provide this service to patients in a nonjudgmental and patient-focused manner.”

Dr. Lazorwitz became a complex family planning subspecialist to help fill gaps he noticed during his training, when he realized patients seeking certain kinds of care often faced stigma. “I saw firsthand the poor outcomes that patients faced when denied the reproductive care they needed,” he says. “I became devoted to providing that care, including abortion care, and ensuring that my patients would not face the same obstacles. My greatest reward is making sure that patients can control their own reproductive autonomy and plan the families they want when they want it.”

An assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Lazorwitz devotes about half of his time to research with a specific focus on the pharmacogenomics of contraception. “I am trying to elucidate how individual genetic differences can help explain why patients have such widely variable experiences with the same contraceptive methods,” he says. “For too long, we have taken a one-method-fits-all approach to contraception and have no current means to personalize the contraceptive counseling process.” He hopes to use genetic research to improve this process by using each patient’s individual genetics to better counsel them on the potential side effects and efficacy of various contraceptive methods.