Sign in

Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH

@ushma.bsky.social
3.6K followers 496 following 70 posts

Professor at UCSF, Public health scientist trained in epi and demography. Expertise in #abortion safety & access, telehealth medication abortion, gender, adolescents. I’m also anti-guns.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 6h
Imagine being able to walk into a pharmacy, finding abortion pills on the shelf, and buying them without a prescription? 💊 New research shows this could be possible. We gave people a glimpse of this future via MiMi, a prototype of an over-the-counter medication abortion kit. Here's what they said:
154
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
“People living in states with abortion bans have to consider many factors,” when making reproductive health choices, said ANSIRH's @ushma.bsky.social. This includes the risk of criminalization.
rewirenewsgroup.com
Abortion Bans, Restrictions Could Cost U.S. Economy $140 Billion: New Report
Because when people can’t choose when or if to have kids, their paychecks and job options tend to stagnate, dwindle, and disappear. A recent Institute for Women's Policy Research report shows that…
053
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
If SCOTUS restricts medication abortion via telehealth, the impact will be devastating, says ANSIRH's @ushma.bsky.social. "If they do make that decision, it'll be based on politics, not science, not medical evidence. It will impact access in all 50 states."
podcasts.apple.com
League of Mifepristone Defenders
Podcast Episode · Outlawed · May 8 · 36m
055
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
JHSB @jofhsb.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
In our March issue #NewPublication finds that telehealth abortion reduces structural barriers to abortion and mitigates experiences of stigma: bit.ly/47BIpXX By @andreabeckerphd.bsky.social Celina Doria Leah R. Koenig Jennifer Kro & @ushma.bsky.social
132
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Society of Family Planning @societyfp.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
“The U.S. is becoming a tale of two countries in terms of abortion access and abortion policy,” said @ushma.bsky.social. But, she added, “All of this legislation will never take away from the fact that women will continue to need abortion care, and continue to get abortion care."
nytimes.com
Three Years After Dobbs, ‘the Reality Is People Are Getting Abortions’
043
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health @ucsfbixby.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
“The U.S. is becoming a tale of two countries in terms of abortion access and abortion policy." @ushma.bsky.social talks to @nytimes.com about the patchwork of abortion laws in the US and how no matter what, people will need abortion care
nytimes.com
Three Years After Dobbs, ‘the Reality Is People Are Getting Abortions’
041
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health @ucsfbixby.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
27% of abortions in the first half of this year were provided via telehealth. @ushma.bsky.social highlights that "telehealth has become a lifeline for people accessing abortion care, especially those in states with abortion bans."
people.com
Telehealth Abortions Have Increased 27 Percent in 2025 in the Wake of Roe v. Wade Being Overturned
More people have been accessing abortion care via telehealth, according to new data released from The Society of Family Planning on Tuesday, Dec. 9. 27% of abortions provided in the U.S. from January…
011
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Steph Herold @stephherold.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
IT'S HERE! Our research on how TV tackled abortion in 2025. Some notable findings: 📺 only 37% of shows featured a character who actually had an abortion, down past years 📺 the return of several troubling themes, notably the association of abortion w/shame & death www.ansirh.org/research/res...
ansirh.org
Abortion Onscreen in 2025
This year, we tracked 65 abortion plotlines across cable, broadcast, and streaming channels. While we documented some familiar trends, we also observed a return to concerning tropes.
197
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Scholars Strategy Network @scholars.org · 10/12/2025
A new report shows Tennesseans increasingly relying on telehealth to obtain abortion care after the state’s ban. @ushma.bsky.social, report co-chair, says telehealth has become “a lifeline” for people seeking care in states with bans Read from @anitawadhwani.bsky.social, @tennesseelookout.com:
tennesseelookout.com
Report: after abortion ban, Tennesseans increasingly rely on telehealth to terminate pregnancies • Tennessee Lookout
Tennesseans obtained abortions during the first half of 2025 through telehealth visits with healthcare providers in other states.
021
Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH @ushma.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Abortion nationwide has increased since Roe was overturned. The latest data from @SocietyFP’s #WeCount Study is clear: Abortion bans don’t stop people from needing or obtaining abortions.
043
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Telehealth has “become a lifeline” for women seeking to end their pregnancies, especially those who live under abortion bans, said @ushma.bsky.social, co-chair of #WeCount, to @washingtonpost.com. wapo.st/3MN5hfi
072
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
According to #WeCount results from last year, 1 out of 4 abortions was provided via telehealth. “All of this legislation will never take away from the fact that women will continue to need abortion care, and continue to get abortion care.” - @ushma.bsky.social
nytimes.com
Three Years After Dobbs, the State Divide Over Abortion Deepens
The state divide over abortions has only deepened since the Supreme Court decision. But research shows the number of abortions has climbed.
034
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health @ucsfbixby.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
Medication abortion is common, safe, and effective. @ushma.bsky.social and @drdgrossman.bsky.social of @ansirh.bsky.social debunk false information pushed by Florida's attorney general
19thnews.org
Florida AG says 1 in 25 people who take the abortion pill are hospitalized. Here's the fact-check.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is suing Planned Parenthood for what he called deceptive marketing practices involving abortion pills.
031
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
A misleading report is being used to undermine trust in Mifepristone. The report’s authors “clearly misconstrued and used deceptive methods to erroneously inflate the rate of serious adverse events after an abortion,” said @ushma.bsky.social.
factcheck.org
Trump Officials Cite Dubious Estimates of Medication Abortion Harms - FactCheck.org
As justification for a Food and Drug Administration review of a drug used in medication abortion, two Trump administration health officials have referenced an April report from an anti-abortion group…
084
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Gregg Gonsalves @gregggonsalves.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Mayor Pete has the right to marry because the gay men and lesbians who came before him fought for it. It was a movement based our identities in the plural sense as LGBTQ Americans. Pander somewhere else fella.
935868
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health @ucsfbixby.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
“What they need to do is look at the published literature on telehealth for medication abortion, and what they would find is that it is as safe and effective as in-person care." @ushma.bsky.social of @ansirh.bsky.social discusses the FDA's questionable review of medication abortion safety
pennsylvaniaindependent.com
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tells FDA to review safety of mifepristone
Years of scientific evidence from rigorous studies have overwhelmingly established the safety and effectiveness of the abortion pill.
011
Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH @ushma.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Hallelujah! We passed prop 50!!
media.tenor.com
a close up of a white dog wearing a flower crown .
ALT: a close up of a white dog wearing a flower crown .
050
Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH @ushma.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Anti-abortion advocates are pushing for review of the drug’s safety, claiming there’s “new evidence to consider” based on new junk science reports that were put up on the internet. pennsylvaniaindependent.com/reproductive...
pennsylvaniaindependent.com
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. tells FDA to review safety of mifepristone
Years of scientific evidence from rigorous studies have overwhelmingly established the safety and effectiveness of the abortion pill.
2011337
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
“If the FDA were to do an actual review based on gold-standard science, I think they would actually end up removing the barriers that remain on mifepristone." ANSIRH's @ushma.bsky.social to @sciam.bsky.social #AbortionAccurate
scientificamerican.com
Decades of Evidence Show the Abortion Pill Is Safe. So Why Is the FDA Investigating It Again?
Some scientists are concerned that the Trump administration will use “junk science” when reviewing mifepristone’s safety record
097
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Society of Family Planning @societyfp.bsky.social · 17/10/2025
Congratulations to Society Board member Blair Darney, PhD, MLH for her appointment as incoming Editor-in-Chief of Contraception, the official journal of the Society of Family Planning. www.contraceptionjournal.org
011
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Timothy McBride @mcbridetd.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
Missouri appeals court rules against attorney general, allows abortions to continue www.stltoday.com/news/local/g...
stltoday.com
Missouri appeals court rules against attorney general, allows abortions to continue
Abortion will remain available at Planned Parenthood clinics in Missouri, a judge ruled, rejecting a request by the attorney general’s office to reinstate several restrictions on the procedure.
0157
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
"With this new one, it’s possible that the price could come down further," ANSIRH'S @ushma.bsky.social told Newsday, "which would really increase access, especially for people [living in states] with abortion bans who have these tremendous barriers to abortion care."
newsday.com
What to know about the new FDA-approved generic abortion pill
The federal drug regulating agency approved an additional generic version of the abortion drug mifepristone.
052
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Don’t Post About Crimes @katerosebee.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
Big moment for me, my first-ever publication credit! The Digital Defense Fund team contributed to this paper on practical data privacy practices for research with abortion seekers, including those facing the most serious threats. Just out in Contraception: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
sciencedirect.com
Society of Family Planning Research Practice Support: Digital and data security for abortion research in a post-Dobbs era—A primer for qualitative researchers
Abortion is banned or severely restricted in nearly half of the United States. Research on the impact of these restrictions and abortion care has neve…
34822
Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH @ushma.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
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...
politico.com
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.
123
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
At least 101 studies in 26 countries over three decades have found that medication abortions are very safe. But the FDA is reevaluating access to medication abortion pills based on one politically motivated junk-science “study.” This is unacceptable. www.cnn.com/2025/09/25/h...
cnn.com
Federal agencies are studying safety of abortion drug mifepristone, driving new concerns about limits on access | CNN
The US Food and Drug Administration is reviewing evidence about the safety and efficacy of mifepristone, one of the drugs used in medication abortion, to investigate how it can be safely dispensed,…
151
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
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...
ansirh.org
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…
042
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Isaac Maddow-Zimet @imaddowzimet.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Proud to have signed on to this letter, along with many other colleagues in the field (including @guttmacher.org researchers @cbpolis.bsky.social , @megankavanaugh.bsky.social, Kathryn Kost, Rachel Jones, Ann Moore and Beth Sully)
096
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Mark Zaid, Esq @markzaidesq.bsky.social · 28/08/2025
Abbe Lowell and I represent CDC Director #SusanMonarez. Contrary to govt statements, Dr. Monarez has neither resigned nor yet been fired. She will not resign. We have issued the following statement:
458212206929
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 23/08/2025
If they can’t outlaw abortion pills, anti-abortion activists will try to make them impossible to access. Costco just caved to pressure to stop selling mifepristone.
bloomberg.com
Costco Forgoes Sale of Abortion Pill, Emboldening Religious Groups
A coalition of faith-based activists had pressured the retailer to not offer the abortion pill mifepristone in its pharmacy locations. The group now turns its focus to CVS and Walgreens.
061
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
Today we submitted a letter with @uclarepropolicy.bsky.social to the FDA signed by over 200 scientists. The short version? Medication abortion is safe. Time to drop the junk science and move on. law.ucla.edu/reproductive...
law.ucla.edu
Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy Reproductive Health Researchers Comment Letter to FDA
On August 27th, 2025, UCLA Center on Reproductive Health, Law, and Policy (CRHLP) and Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) at UCSF submitted a letter on behalf of more than 260 rese...
07730
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
A Jean Stevenson @amandajean.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
I'm proud to have signed this and furious that it was necessary. The science is clear: mifepristone is safe. The current efforts to throw that science into question shouldn't even be worthy of consideration, let alone debunking.
2399
Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH @ushma.bsky.social · 27/08/2025
I am proud to have helped draft and be lead signer on our letter urging the FDA to follow the gold-standard science on mifepristone for medication #abortion!
0111
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Betty C. Jung @bettycjung.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Medical Abortion: Action Needed to Ensure Compliance with Medicaid Drug Rebate Program GAO-25-107911 Published: Aug 26, 2026. Publicly Released: Aug 26, 2025. www.gao.gov/products/gao...
gao.gov
111
Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH @ushma.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Costco said it won’t sell Mifepristone for medication #abortion. Watch this 11-minute, fact-packed discussion on why this matters. Non-members might shrug. But for #Costco fans, it’s alarming—Costco isn’t just bulk toilet paper. It’s a shopping dreamland, and what it chooses not to carry matters.
032
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health @ucsfbixby.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
Medication abortion is extremely safe. Pharmacies should be able to stock it and dispense it. "We know pharmacies dispense other drugs with much greater risks without all these restrictions and certification requirements," said @ushma.bsky.social in @politico.com www.politico.com/news/2023/01...
021
Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH @ushma.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
Oh Costco, just yesterday I admired you so. Today, you've crushed me. 😥 #CostcoDisappointment #abortion 🎁 link: urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
urldefense.com
Costco Forgoes Sale of Abortion Pill, Emboldening Religious Groups
A coalition of faith-based activists had pressured the retailer to not offer the abortion pill mifepristone in its pharmacy locations. The group now turns its focus to CVS and Walgreens.
393
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Isaac Maddow-Zimet @imaddowzimet.bsky.social · 06/08/2025
Really enjoyed talking to Lizzy McNeill on the BBC More or Less podcast about trends in abortion provision post Dobbs (along with @ushma.bsky.social !) podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a...
podcasts.apple.com
Are abortion numbers rising in the US?
Podcast Episode · More or Less: Behind the Stats · 08/06/2025 · 9m
295
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Society of Family Planning @societyfp.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
Ready to dive into the latest data on how abortion volume is shifting across the US? Explore our newly revamped #WeCount page, where you can build your own custom charts and downloadable tables using the new data explorer. societyfp.org/research/wec...
societyfp.org
#WeCount - Society of Family Planning
The Society of Family Planning is the source for abortion and contraception science.
031
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Theresa Kim, PhD, MS @tyk314.net · 14/07/2025
As an #NIH employee, I support our #EPA colleagues in their #DeclarationofDissent. You can sign it, too. #FEDStrong
standupforscience.net
Support EPA Staff Now! — STAND UP FOR SCIENCE
Your solidarity with the EPA heroes increases the pressure on their Administrator Lee Zeldin.
45023
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Society of Family Planning @societyfp.bsky.social · 14/07/2025
Society members Elisa Wells, MPH and Jennifer Karlin, MD, PhD are featured in this recent NPR article about the safety of and access to self-managed abortion care. www.npr.org/2025/06/22/g...
npr.org
Three years after Roe fell, more women are managing their abortions without doctors
A growing body of research demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of self-managed abortion with pills, coupled with the global pandemic in 2020 and the fall of Roe in 2022, has many U.S. doctors c...
073
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
David S. Cohen @dsc250.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
And while we’re at it, if Texas can put age requirements for porn sites, then California can put age requirements for any site about guns. And with what we know about FOX News harming seniors, age limits for watching that channel. DO IT.
427882
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
UCSF Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health @ucsfbixby.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
If the FDA wants data about medication abortion, we've got it. "The evidence for medication abortion’s safety is overwhelming and crystal clear. The FDA’s job is simple: follow the science, not second-guess it," write @ushma.bsky.social and Kiki Freedman in @thehill.com
thehill.com
The FDA’s ‘data guy’ should trust the data on the abortion pill
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s pledge to reexamine the safety of medication abortion isn’t just pointless — it’s dangerous.
053
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Hey Jane @heyjane.com · 26/06/2025
Thank you for spotlighting the rock-solid science behind the abortion pill—and helping cut through the noise with facts that matter.
032
Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH @ushma.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
"Makary, who proudly calls himself a 'data guy' should have no trouble acknowledging that the science behind mifepristone is rock solid—and it hasn’t changed." 📣My new op-ed with @heyjane.com's Kiki Fredman that calls on @fda.gov to trust the data on the #abortion pill! thehill.com/opinion/heal...
thehill.com
The FDA’s ‘data guy’ should trust the data on the abortion pill
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s pledge to reexamine the safety of medication abortion isn’t just pointless — it’s dangerous.
2238
Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH @ushma.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
It's the 3rd anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision. As Co-Chair of @societyfp.bsky.social's #WeCount Project, I wanted to share some of our latest findings. 👇 The U.S. saw just over 1 million abortions in 2024. societyfp.org/research/wec...
196
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
ANSIRH @ansirh.bsky.social · 07/06/2025
Mifepristone is the first (and extremely safe) of two medications that people will take during a medication abortion—and access to it is under attack in the courts. ANSIRH expert @ushma.bsky.social‬ discussed these attacks on @reprosfightback.bsky.social‬.
reprosfightback.com
The Propaganda That Threatens the FDA’s Mifepristone Regulations — rePROs Fight Back
Mifepristone is the first (and extremely safe) of two medications that people will take during a medication abortion—and access to it is under blatant attack in the courts. Dr. Ushma Upadhyay ,…
093
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Nick Kapur @nickkapur.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
This not only eliminates hope for a vaccine going forward, but also undoes all the progress that has been made so far. The only explanation for these insane policy shifts is that they wrongly view HIV as a disease that only affects gay people and Africans, and want them to die.
2928197
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Arghavan Salles, MD, PhD @arghavansallesmd.medsky.social · 03/06/2025
“he is trying to please overlords while saying things he must know are false." Another said that while Bh*ttach*rya had once been "respected," "now he sounds like a joke, an ignorant political hack, every time he speaks...he comes across as someone who has sold his soul."
"I wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, because I heard he was a collegial, rigorous peer reviewer in the past," one staffer said. "He should understand the rigor of the NIH funding process (as well as its limitations). But he is trying to please overlords while saying things he must know are false."
Another said that while Bhattacharya had once been "respected," "now he sounds like a joke, an ignorant political hack, every time he speaks...he comes across as someone who has sold his soul."
1325
Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH @ushma.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Denying lifesaving care, threatening doctors — Trump’s policies are deadly. And if women die because of them, that’s not a side effect. It’s his goal. apnews.com/article/abor... administration revokes guidance requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortions
apnews.com
Trump administration revokes guidance requiring hospitals to provide emergency abortions
The Trump administration has announced that it is revoking guidance to the nation’s hospitals that directed them to provide emergency abortions to women when they are necessary to stabilize their medi...
032
Reposted by Ushma Upadhyay, PhD, MPH
Jennie Wetter @jennieindc.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
🚨 New Episode 🚨 This week on @reprosfightback.bsky.social I talked to the wonderful @ushma.bsky.social with @ansirh.bsky.social and Julia Kay with @aclu.org about Project 2025 Abortion Pill Pseudo-Study and the threats to access to mifepristone. #podcast
053