English

"OpenBloom": A Question-Based LLM Tool to Support Stigma Reduction in Reproductive Well-Being

Human-Computer Interaction 2026-02-03 v1

Abstract

Reproductive well-being education remains widely stigmatized across diverse cultural contexts, constraining how individuals access and interpret reproductive health knowledge. We designed and evaluated OpenBloom, a stigma-sensitive, AI-mediated system that uses LLMs to transform reproductive health articles into reflective, question-based learning prompts. We employed OpenBloom as a design probe, aiming to explore the emerging challenges of reproductive well-being stigma through LLMs. Through surveys, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussions, we examine how sociocultural stigma shapes participants' engagements with AI-generated questions and the opportunities of inquiry-based reproductive health education. Our findings identify key design considerations for stigma-sensitive LLM, including empathetic framing, inclusive language, values-based reflection, and explicit representation of marginalized identities. However, while current LLM outputs largely meet expectations for cultural sensitivity and non-offensiveness, they default to superficial rephrasing and factual recall rather than critical reflection. This guides well-being HCI design in sensitive health domains toward culturally grounded, participatory workflows.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2602.00243,
  title  = {"OpenBloom": A Question-Based LLM Tool to Support Stigma Reduction in Reproductive Well-Being},
  author = {Ashley Hua and Adya Daruka and Yang Hong and Sharifa Sultana},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.00243},
  year   = {2026}
}
R2 v1 2026-07-01T09:28:39.110Z