In the study, published Tuesday, researchers examined requests made by residents of the 30 states to the Austria-based nonprofit Aid Access, a physician-run service that mails abortion pills directly to people in the United States.
Applicants provided at least one reason for needing the drugs, and many cited abortion restrictions that have swept the nation, the study said.
Traveling to states that offer abortion services might not be possible due to the expense, difficulty in taking time off from work or finding child care.
Over the course of the study, Aid Access received more than 42,000 requests for abortion pills from residents in the 30 states.
"It suggests that another, I think, unintended consequence and kind of ironic consequence of abortion bans is that they actually seem to draw attention to and illuminate the idea of a self-managed abortion," Aiken said.