UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health

Polycystic ovary syndrome affects about 1 out of every 10 women of reproductive age worldwide. But it hasn't gotten a lot of funding and attention, leaving many people struggling to get diagnosed and find treatment.

Heather Huddleston explained some of the gaps in treatment in @washingtonpost.com

The Once and Future Maternity Home An Abortion, Every Day guest column

“In the same way pregnant women will go to [crisis pregnancy centers] because they need pregnancy tests or free diapers, they go to maternity homes because they need housing,” explains ANSIRH researcher Gretchen Sisson.
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Congratulations to Bixby member Christine Dehlendorf on this well-deserved honor.

“When patients leave a visit feeling respected, heard, and supported—that’s when we’re truly delivering excellent care.”

The Once and Future Maternity Home An Abortion, Every Day guest column

Pleased to share this guest post on ‘Abortion, Every Day’ discussing modern day maternity homes. These homes function differently from pre-Roe homes, but ultimately serve the same regressive aims — with familiar coercive means.

Thanks @jessicavalenti.bsky.social!

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The History and Value of Complex Family Planning by Talking Women's Health In this episode of "Talking Women's Health," host Amy Young, MD, is joined by distinguished guests Uta Landy, MD, Phil Darney, MD, and Courtney Schreiber, MD, who also serves on ABOG’s Board of…

Uta Landy and Phil Darney talked about the history and value of complex family planning on Talking Women's Health, an ABOG podcast on current topics that impact patient care

Report: More support needed for postpartum women as breastfeeding rates remain well below national goals Among children born in 2021, 27.2% were exclusively breastfed for their first six months, and 39.5% were still receiving breast milk by 12 months

An expert panel released recommendations to increase breastfeeding rates in the US.

"Action is needed across all levels to ensure families receive the support and resources needed to meet their breastfeeding and infant feeding goals," said Ifeyinwa Asiodu, Bixby member and committee co-chair

Abortion Pill “Reversal” Is a Hoax. It's Also a Powerful Right-Wing Legal Strategy. Speakers at a crisis pregnancy center conference made rare admissions about the challenges of providing so-called abortion “reversal,” and indicated its importance as a litigation tool.

Abortion pill "reversal" is an unscientific, unproven procedure based on flawed thinking about how people make decisions about having an abortion.

Daniel Grossman of @ansirh.bsky.social calls anti-abortion groups' promotion of "reversal" an "unmonitored research project" in @autonomynews.co

RFK Jr.’s got advice for pregnant women. There’s limited data to support it. Women of reproductive age have long been missing from clinical trials. It’s getting worse where abortion is banned.

Research on pregnancy has become a lot harder to study because of concerns about causing any sort of harm to the fetus could potentially invoke fetal personhood laws or #abortion laws.

www.politico.com/news/2025/10...

Join @californiaptc.bsky.social and Family PACT for a free training on best practices for working with youth during their family planning visits. CME credits available.

ICE fears put pregnant immigrants and their babies at risk Fear of deportation is deterring people without permanent legal status from critical care. Doctors are worried for their health — and the health of their pregnancies.

ICE is targeting people in hospitals and clinics, deterring people from accessing essential pregnancy care.

Many patients — nervous about encountering immigration officials — are skipping virtually all of their pregnancy-related health care.

Abortions Appear to Be Decreasing, a Post-Roe First The number of abortions provided in most of the U.S. has declined compared to the same period last year, new data shows.

“A decrease, to me, just raises the concern that there could be people who want abortions who don’t get them."

Diana Greene Foster of @ansirh.bsky.social responded to new @guttmacher.org research showing a decline in abortions provided by clinicians in the US

In September 2025, The Brigid Alliance, one of the nation’s leading abortion support providers helping thousands of people travel out-of-state to access abortion care, held a briefing to discuss a… Dr. Diana Greene Foster Shares Insight on First-of-its-Kind Later Abortion Study

Abortion access changes lives.

When people can access abortion care, they’re less likely to end up below the poverty level and more likely to set and achieve aspirational goals for their future.

7 people in a row holding up black backs and white card envelopes, next to a cart with full black bags

Bixby members got together to make post-abortion care kits for our patients at SF General and Mt. Zion. The kits contain helpful things like tea, snacks, pads, condoms, and notes of love and support.

ANSIRH Debunks Questionable Junk Analysis on Abortion Safety Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary have expressed plans to conduct a new review of mifepristone’s safety based on an unverified and biased…

ANSIRH's @ushma.bsky.social put together a 9-point review of the report's major flaws. Very little information is provided about the source of the data, and the level of risk the report found to be associated with mifepristone is overstated. www.ansirh.org/research/res...

New research shows that the incidence of ectopic pregnancy among people seeking abortion is extremely low.

The same study found that the 3 history-based screening criteria used in medication abortion care does not reliably identify ectopic pregnancies. www.whijournal.com/article/S104...

Congratulations to Philip Darney, MD, and Uta Landy, PhD, for their Distinguished Presidential Award for Obstetrics and Gynecology from the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society. They were honored us for their work including the founding of the Bixby Center and the Ryan Residency Program

“Fear of ICE is pushing my patients and their families away from the very systems meant to protect their health and their pregnancies."

Dr. Josie Urbina shared how aggressive crackdowns on immigrants are harming people's health.

Social Media Recruitment in Indigenous and Native American Populations: Challenges in the AI Age Using social media recruitment for public health research presents both opportunities and challenges. Despite its increased use, few studies have detailed the practical issues, challenges…

Social media can be a helpful recruitment tool for public health research.

But a new paper on recruiting in Indigenous and Native American populations finds that the increasing sophistication of AI is becoming a substantial obstacle to authentic recruitment

Denying abortion has lifelong consequences. People forced to continue pregnancies face higher risks to their health, more financial instability, & fewer opportunities to pursue their goals.

Visit The Turnaway Project website & get the facts! #YourVoiceIsYourPower turnawayproject.org/share-facts

Watch: Why Is Having a Baby So Expensive in the US? - KFF Health News KFF Health News video producer Hannah Norman breaks down why new parents are getting billed thousands of dollars for births.

Why is having a baby in the US so expensive?

Dr. Malini Nijagal talks about the increasing costs of childbirth and ways to improve care and decrease expenses in a new video from @kffhealthnews.org

Cervical cancer could be eradicated, experts say. But not with Medicaid cuts and anti-vax politics. Third in a five-part series.It had been a decade since Jess Deis’ last women’s wellness exam when Kentucky expanded Medicaid and she finally qualified for the state insurance program.

Pap smears and HPV vaccines are critical for preventing cervical cancer.

Dr. Aisha Mays of @dreamyouthclinic.bsky.social talked to @kelciemmmorris.bsky.social about providing these services for free and having clear conversations with young people about how important they are

Coverage bans = abortion bans

Not being able to pay for an abortion causes cruel and unnecessary delays and denials of care.

49 years is too long. The Hyde Amendment has robbed people of abortion coverage for nearly half a century. It’s time to end it.

BREAKING: The Trump Administration is "Reviewing" Abortion Pills The FDA and HHS just announced their next move in the war against mifepristone

People rely heavily on telehealth care to access medication abortions – even in states with bans.

Now, the current administration's FDA and HHS are coming after providers’ ability to mail abortion pills.

Medication abortion facts - FDA approved - Safe & effective - Backed by 25+ years of evidence - Used in over half of all US abortions - Safely prescribed via telehealth & sent by mail

We’re celebrating 25 years of mifepristone! 🎉

Our researchers have proven that it's safe and effective. Our ob-gyns, family physicians, pediatricians, nurse-midwives, and nurse practitioners continue to provide patient-centered medication abortion care. We're working to ensure it’s here to stay.

Intimate partner violence linked to delays in contraceptive care Access to birth control is crucial for young people’s reproductive autonomy. Many young people rely on a range of birth control methods to control the timing, spacing, and number of pregnancies.

A new paper from Beyond the Pill shows that among young community college women in California and Texas, experiencing intimate partner violence is linked with delays in getting the contraception they wanted

How can comprehensive sexual health education be effectively replicated in rural Latino communities?

Berglas et al. examine curriculum implementation in underserved areas in Journal of School Health, featuring IHPS faculty member Mara Decker, DrPH.

Introduction to the special supplement, unlocking the potential of self-injectable contraception: evidence from coordinated investments - BMC Women's Health Advertisement

A special supplement in BMC Women's Health explores self-injectable contraception, which "has the potential to circumvent stubborn barriers to contraceptive agency."

Read the introduction:

HANDS-ON TRAINING SESSIONS Manual Vacuum Aspiration (MVA) and Intrauterine Device (IUD) Placement All hands-on training simulations will be limited enrollment sessions only open to medical students and advanced practice clinicians in training. Conference registration is required. Saturday, December 6th • Educational Program on Bayer IUDs: An Overview for New Learners • Abortion Techniques: MVA Hands-on Training #1 Sunday, December 7th • The Liletta Levonorgestrel 52 mg IUD: An Overview and Hands-on Training • Abortion Techniques: MVA Hands-on Training #2

Medical students and advanced practice clinicians in training (including nursing students, NP students, and PA students) are invited to attend the limited enrollment, hands-on training workshops at MSFC's 2025 Conference on Family Planning.

Local experts weigh in on abortion pill bottle legislation The bill would remove patient names and provider info from abortion pill bottles.

The California legislature passed a bill to remove patient and provider information from medication abortion packaging.

Flor Hunt of TEACH talked to @sfexaminer.com about why this extra privacy protection is so important

Clinicians! Check out these FREE training opportunities to build skills and confidence in intrauterine device (IUD) and contraceptive implant services. October 15-17 in Sacramento