Tessa Ruff

FDA General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel Meeting on Breast Implant Safety

By Tessa Ruff | Apr 15, 2019 | Comments Off on FDA General and Plastic Surgery Devices Panel Meeting on Breast Implant Safety

Earlier in March, the FDA sent warning letters to two breast implant manufacturers, Mentor and Sientra, citing their failure to conduct safety studies after approval. In Australia and France, authorities have been pulling textured implants off the market due to the risk of cancer.

Conflating Anti-Science Agendas: Anti-Abortion Is Not an Argument for Anti-Vaccination

By Tessa Ruff | Apr 11, 2019 | Comments Off on Conflating Anti-Science Agendas: Anti-Abortion Is Not an Argument for Anti-Vaccination

Pseudoscience attacks by anti-abortion and anti-vaccine proponents aren’t convincing unless they’re embellished with lies.

The NWHN Testifies for the Use of Better Evidence at the FDA

By Tessa Ruff | Feb 27, 2019 | Comments Off on The NWHN Testifies for the Use of Better Evidence at the FDA

In 2016, the FDA reclassified transvaginal mesh used to repair pelvic organ prolapse (POP) as a Class III device—the highest risk category—in response to over 20,000 adverse event reports during a three-year period alone.

How Medication Abortion Changes the Narrative of Self-Managed Abortions

By Tessa Ruff | Jan 29, 2019 | Comments Off on How Medication Abortion Changes the Narrative of Self-Managed Abortions

Writing for Jezebel last year, Dr. Meera Shah described just a few of the many reasons why pregnant people might prefer self-managed (or self-induced) abortion to an abortion performed in a clinic.

Instagram Influencers & the New Obsession with All-Natural: How Companies Sell Food, Exercise, and Now Even Contraceptive Methods as a New Way of Life

By Tessa Ruff | Jan 17, 2019 | Comments Off on Instagram Influencers & the New Obsession with All-Natural: How Companies Sell Food, Exercise, and Now Even Contraceptive Methods as a New Way of Life

My peers and I have access to more information about our bodies and our health than ever before, encouraging us to take care of ourselves and make well-informed decisions.

Protect Science at Federal Agencies

By Tessa Ruff | Nov 15, 2018 | Comments Off on Protect Science at Federal Agencies

At the National Women’s Health Network, we are deeply concerned about the state of science under the Trump-Pence administration. Respect for science and scientists at federal agencies has dangerously eroded over the last 21 months. By repeatedly hiding, mischaracterizing, and ignoring scientific data in the rule making process, the administration has threatened public health and well being.

Getting an IUD: How One Size Does Not Fit All

By Tessa Ruff | Oct 17, 2018 | Comments Off on Getting an IUD: How One Size Does Not Fit All

In college, getting a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) was in vogue. It seemed like everywhere I went, women were talking about how their IUD had changed their life for the better.