@cbpolis.bsky.social
Reproductive health epidemiologist @guttmacher.org. Contraception, abortion, FemTech, HIV/STIs, infertility, global public health, & research integrity. Alum of WomenLift Health 2024. Maddox Prize awardee 2023. Anti-SLAPP law advocate. www.chelseapolis.com
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In Health Affairs Forefront, I wrote about why fertility tracking must be grounded in evidence and reproductive justice - not co-opted by agendas that strip away other reproductive health care.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
Sharing a few key points in thread below 🤓
“Every time we choose the good action or response, the decent, the valuable, it builds, incrementally, to renewal, resurrection, the place of newness, freedom, justice.”
- Anne Lamott
This week, the Trump administration finalized a new sweeping rule that broadens the Mexico City Policy.
@spsaki.bsky.social explains how the policy represents the most expansive—and potentially disruptive—version of ideological restrictions on foreign aid to date.
Today, @govpritzker.illinois.gov launched the Prairie State Access Fund, to strengthen infrastructure and resources for Illinois’ reproductive healthcare ecosystem. More info here: gov-pritzker-newsroom.prezly.com/gov-pritzker... 👏 👏 👏
29.01.2026 05:08 — 👍 11 🔁 4 💬 0 📌 0Autonomy News is a reader-powered publication that will never be paywalled. If you've been thinking about supporting us with a paid subscription, now's a great time!
Get a free book when you sign up for annual in the next 7 days:
www.autonomynews.co#/portal
Alex Pretti "used to tell people off when they made sexist comments to female physicians. He bought me coffee when I had a really bad day as an intern...I laughed alongside him daily. He made a point to teach medical residents without judgement, but with a smile on his face and a joke."
24.01.2026 21:41 — 👍 33718 🔁 10485 💬 450 📌 425
The story is not that there are two conflicting versions of what happened.
The story is that the federal government is lying about what happened.
There is plenty of evidence.
Your job, our job, is to sift that evidence and describe what actually happened ffs.
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
25.01.2026 12:28 — 👍 47550 🔁 14336 💬 525 📌 604
We lost a giant in public health today.
Dr. William H. Foege helped eradicate #smallpox - the only human disease ever eliminated—through science, surveillance, and vaccines.
His legacy is the antidote to today’s antiscience, anti-vaccine rhetoric.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/24/u...
Boosting this becsue Melody covers health topics rigorously *and* compassionately. I’ve been so impressed with the pieces she’s written in my area of expertise.
24.01.2026 20:19 — 👍 10 🔁 8 💬 1 📌 0Strongly encourage folks interested in the below to read this: www.bmj.com/content/384/...
24.01.2026 13:33 — 👍 5 🔁 2 💬 0 📌 0
JAMA Network Open: "Pregnancy- and Abortion-Related Mortality in the US, 2018-2021" by Maria W. Steenland, SD@1; Kerra Mercon, MS@1; Benjamin P. Brown, MD@2; Published Online: January 21, 2026.
From 2018 to 2021, risk of death from pregnancy was ≥3 times higher than from abortion in the US, with the ratio ranging from 44.3 to 69.6, exceeding prior estimates, finds this cross-sectional study. ja.ma/4qB5G3z
23.01.2026 13:00 — 👍 0 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
BREAKING: The controversial hepatitis B vaccine trial in Guinea-Bissau has been *cancelled,* I can now report. A senior official with Africa CDC confirmed the cancellation and said GB officials are working to make sure any research is conducted ethically:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
New paper – and my first ✨Registered Report✨: Do hormonal contraceptives affect women’s sexuality?
We studied both average effects and individual differences in effects using longitudinal data: doi.org/10.1177/2700...
cc: @guttmacher.org @ppfa.org @reproductivefreedomforall.org @reprorights.org @msichoices.org @prh.org @catholic4choice.bsky.social @unfpa.org @ippf.bsky.social @fosfeminista.bsky.social @nirhealth.bsky.social @rh-pru.bsky.social @ippfar.bsky.social @hrpresearch.bsky.social @lshtm-march.bsky.social
10.01.2026 18:17 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
10/ We can do better. We can do rigorous research (when funded). We can train providers. We can combat misinfo & improve regulation. We can center people's needs & preferences - not political agendas or bottom lines. For more, contact me. And watch our recent podcast! www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTqw...
10.01.2026 18:17 — 👍 5 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 09/ Project 2025 (static.heritage.org/project2025/...) wants CDC to claim FABMs have "unsurpassed effectiveness" - which is simply false. Effectiveness isn't the ONLY feature of methods that matters to people, but this false message undermines both reproductive autonomy AND scientific integrity.
10.01.2026 18:17 — 👍 5 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 08/ I worked with researchers across the ideological spectrum ("oppositional collaboration") to do a rigorous systematic review on FABM effectiveness. journals.lww.com/greenjournal...
Our estimates were cited by CDC. That's how science SHOULD work: following data, NOT ideology.
7/ HARD TRUTH: The SRH field has historically sidelined FABMs. STOP! If FABM-interested folks are dismissed by providers they may turn to less reliable sources (social media, folks w/ financial/ideological motivations), as I discussed w/ @francoisegirard.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/shorts/Ii5GF...
6/ Reproductive justice (www.sistersong.net/reproductive...) is the human right to:
- Bodily autonomy
- Have children
- NOT have children
- Parent in safe environments
FABMs fit in that framework - but only when part of comprehensive care and supported with accurate, unbiased information.
5/ We need better research (& thus funding). We need non-judgmental counseling & provider training. We need stronger FemTech regulation. We must use a reproductive justice framework (www.sistersong.net/reproductive...) which involves expanding access, not promoting some options & eliminating others.
10.01.2026 18:17 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 04/ Evidence on FABM effectiveness is limited (vs. other contraceptive methods). With typical use, FABM effectiveness varies widely by method. See our interactive @bmj.com infographic! www.bmj.com/content/366/...
For folks in states with abortion bans this uncertainty can be especially high-stakes.
3/ Meanwhile, FemTech has exploded with fertility tracking apps, wearables, and devices. Many lack rigorous effectiveness data and/or make misleading claims. (I won a Maddox Prize for holding one company accountable for false marketing: www.theguardian.com/science/2023...)
10.01.2026 18:17 — 👍 4 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
2/ The "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) movement and Project 2025 push FABMs while simultaneously working to restrict Title X funding, ban abortion, defund Planned Parenthood, and more. That's not about expanding options - it's about limiting them. www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/h...
10.01.2026 18:17 — 👍 4 🔁 2 💬 1 📌 01/ Fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) can be valuable options for pregnancy prevention for some. BUT they're being politicized - promoted by conservative groups while access to abortion, contraception, infertility care, & other comprehensive care is attacked. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/09/u...
10.01.2026 18:17 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
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In Health Affairs Forefront, I wrote about why fertility tracking must be grounded in evidence and reproductive justice - not co-opted by agendas that strip away other reproductive health care.
www.healthaffairs.org/content/fore...
Sharing a few key points in thread below 🤓
Black text on a white background features the title of an op-ed by Dr. Chelsea Polis, "Fertility Tracking Must Be Grounded in Evidence and Reproductive Justice." Below is a photo of a person holding a pregnancy test. A red Health Affairs logo appears in the top left corner.
Fertility awareness-based methods (FABMs) can be useful #ReproductiveHealth tools. But pushing them while restricting other care undermines reproductive autonomy.
Our Principal Research Scientist @cbpolis.bsky.social lays out the evidence: https://gu.tt/3NyScXl
#Israel has revoked the registration of @msf.ca and other aid organizations from #Gaza. What’s at stake is people.
08.01.2026 16:41 — 👍 83 🔁 55 💬 0 📌 2
This is a very thoughtful, smart and thorough piece by @cbpolis.bsky.social about fertility awareness-based methods, aka “digital contraception”.
I strongly recommend you have a read if you’re concerned about the next step toward Gilead.
Thanks for the very kind words!
If you are interested in digging into your question further, check out our special issue on FemTech (I'm serving as Guest Editor). It's not yet done, but several papers touch on the question you raise. www.sciencedirect.com/special-issu...
