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Then & Now: How Women’s Health Has Evolved in the Past 20 Years
Words Ebun Lufadeju
Looking deeper into the area of women’s health, we have positively progressed from a period where women’s health was hardly explored or discussed. Now, we are grateful to see there are so many resources and information available to women, to help us look after their health. It is important to note that it has only been in the past 100 years that doctors, and researchers have recognised the need to concentrate on the specific health needs of women. However, it is not the same celebration in other countries, where we must address the ongoing cases of pregnancy-related deaths, sexual and reproductive health problems, malnutrition, HIV, discrimination, lack of education and violence against women. Despite this, we are hopeful that there is still progress in women’s health all over the world, and it is important to focus on the positive. More recently, it seems women's health and wellness has taken everyone’s attention, from medical care to the media. Though, women's health trends and health care requirements have not always been in the limelight. Here is a brief look at women’s health over the years.
Timeline
1840 - Women's hospitals first appeared in the 1840s
1849 – Historically, healthcare has been male-focused, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first woman to get a medical degree.
1868 - Elizabeth Blackwell opened the Women's Medical College to train more female doctors.
1870 - General hospitals began to set up gynaecological wards and specialist departments that focused on the female reproductive system.
1890 - Elizabeth Garrett Anderson founded the New London Hospital for Women in Euston Road, which was also staffed by female doctors.
1896 - The first commercial menstrual care product in America was the cotton sanitary napkin “Lister's Towels”, which was founded by the company Johnson & Johnson.
1914 - New York City socialite Mary Phelps Jacob, tied two silk handkerchiefs together with ribbon, consequently formulating the modern bra.
1914 - There were now nearly a thousand female doctors in the healthcare system
1931 - Gynaecologist Robert Tilden Frank wrote a paper in which he noted his interest in "a large group of women who are handicapped by premenstrual disturbances." Frank was the first contemporary doctor to insinuate that these "disturbances" were linked to the menstrual cycles
1933 - The first disposable tampon was patented by Dr Earle Haas.
1953 - The commonly used term "premenstrual syndrome" was devised by British physician Dr Katharina Dalton.
1960 - The FDA approved the sale of the first oral contraceptive, the birth control pill “Enovid”, simply known as, The Pill. Manufactured by the Searle pharmaceutical company.
1960 – 1970 - The Women’s Health Movement (WHM) arose during the 1960s and the 1970s with the principal goal to improve health care for all women.
1970 - The famous publishing of “Our Bodies, Ourselves” book transformed views about the female body and sexuality. It is a book written by women, for women, and has sold more than 4 million copies since its publication.
1977 – An athlete named Lisa Lindahl became weary of insufficient breast support while exercising and came up with the idea of sewing two men's jockstraps together to provide women athletes with the support and comfort they needed whilst training.
1980s - 1990s – Researchers all over the world began to realise that there were major holes in understanding how disease and illness affect women, and how hormonal variances may affect women's disease progression and response to drug treatments, compared to their male counterparts.
1992 – The National Institute of Health (NIH) introduced the ‘Women's Health Initiative’, which was a $625 million, randomized control trial that studied the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis for women.
2005 – A study showed that breast cancer deaths in the United States fell by about 10% because of newer mammography screening.
2017 - The #MeToo hashtag started a movement that has stimulated women the world over to create a platform for an open conversation about female health and wellbeing.
2020s – It became more common to see more intimate Feminine products alongside creams, shampoos, deodorants, and fake tan on both physical and online beauty shelves, which would not have been the case 100 years ago.
Where does women’s health stand now?
In late 2019 we faced an ongoing global pandemic, which changed healthcare entirely. It also taught us the importance of unity, especially during the multiple national lockdowns. We have seen women come together all over the world through various platforms, like Women of the City, to educate, share information and advocate for one other. So, we have indeed achieved major landmarks that we can celebrate as women. However, I believe that this is a conversation that cannot die down. We must continue to work together to progressively change the outlook of all women’s healthcare, locally and globally.