A History of Women in Medicine

From Hippocrates to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the face of medicine has often been male. There are many reasons for this gender imbalance, from broad systemic discrimination in society, to medical-specific discrimination. For many years, women were not allowed in medical schools, and in some cases, such as in ancient Greece, a woman practicing medicine was considered a crime.

But despite these oppressive odds, women throughout history have defied these pressures and have gone on to study and work in various medical fields. Many of them have made groundbreaking discoveries and contributions to medicine, ranging from neonatal health to DNA structure.

The Frenemies Who Fought to Bring Birth Control to the U.S.

Though Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett shared a mission, they took very different approaches. Their ensuing rivalry was political, sometimes even personal.

Judging by how commonly birth control is practiced in the United States, it ought to rank among the least controversial of subjects. In surveys, ninety-nine per cent of women of reproductive age report having used contraception in their lifetimes. Catholics avail themselves of it at about the same rate as other Americans. Evangelicals do, too. Given the fact that heterosexual Americans, like humans in general, tend to be fans of non-procreative sex, this is not so surprising. Nor is it new.

In the nineteenth century, lots of people tried to game their gametes, especially anyone lucky or wealthy enough to have a discreet private physician; or who could read between the lines of newspaper ads slyly offering “rubber goods for men” or “married women’s friends” or “French periodical pills”; or who knew a midwife able to whip up an herbal concoction that might or might not work. Between 1800 and 1900, the average number of children for white married couples (the group most studied) dropped from just over seven to less than four—a decline marked enough to suggest the purposeful wrangling of fertility, whether through abstinence or intervention.

Feminism: The Second Wave

After the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920, which granted women the right to vote, the first wave of feminism slowed down significantly. Although many of these activists continued to fight for women's rights, the next sustained feminist movement is believed to have started in the 1960s. Much like the first wave that developed during a period of social reform, the second wave also took place amidst other social and political movements.

In between the first and the second wave, French feminist author Simone de Beauvoir published a foundational book that set the tone for the next surge of women's rights activism. Published in 1949, her book entitled "The Second Sex," provided extensive definitions of womanhood and outlines how women have historically be treated as second to men. Originally published in France, "The Second Sex," quickly became a phenomenon and was published in the United States in 1953.

How Accessible Sex Ed Helps Young Adults With Developmental Disabilities Form Health Relationships

When he was a teenager, Ben believed that he struggled with friendships and romantic relationships more than others his age. Discerning personal boundaries and finding ways to effectively communicate often bewildered him, and he wasn’t sure what certain signals meant or how many he may have missed. As someone with autism, cerebral palsy, and expressive ­dysphasia—which means it takes him longer to find the words he wants to use when speaking or writing—he found nearly every encounter with someone he liked or had a crush on fraught with anxiety and confusion.

He was not alone. Many people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are never explicitly taught that the ways a person touches someone else depend on the nature of the relationship, or even what it means for someone to consent. It was only once he was 26, in the spring of 2022, that Ben (not his real name) would be offered a class dedicated to teaching the nuances of those distinctions.

For all young people, sex education varies widely by state, and options are often limited. But those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) are even less likely to have access to mainstream sex ed—much less instruction with information relevant to their situations. 

For Some With Intellectual Disabilities, Ending Abuse Starts With Sex Ed

Editor's note: This report includes graphic and disturbing descriptions of sexual assault.

In the sex education class for adults with intellectual disabilities, the material is not watered down. The dozen women and men in a large room full of windows and light in Casco, Maine, take on complex issues, such as how to break up or how you know you're in an abusive relationship. And the most difficult of those issues is sexual assault.

Katy Park, the teacher, begins the class with a phrase they've memorized: "My body is my own," Park starts as the rest join in, "and I get to decide what is right for me."

People with intellectual disabilities are sexually assaulted at a rate more than seven times that for people without disabilities. NPR asked the U.S. Department of Justice to use data it had collected, but had not published, to calculate that rate.

At a moment when Americans are talking about sexual assault and sexual harassment, a yearlong NPR investigation finds that people with intellectual disabilities are one of the most at-risk groups in America.

"This is really an epidemic and we're not talking about it," says Park, a social worker who runs arts and wellness programs for Momentum, an agency based in Maine that provides activities in the community and support services for adults with intellectual disabilities. Those high rates of abuse — which have been an open secret among people with intellectual disabilities, their families and people who work with them — are why Park started this class about healthy relationships and healthy sexuality.

The Best New Sexuality Books to Read in 2025

Discover the best new sexuality books, recommended by leaders, experts, and readers worldwide

9 Books on Women’s Health & Gynecology

Books remain the undisputable golden standard in the distribution of information.

It is important to make informed decision about own body – that is why we put together a few pieces that spread awareness and answer questions about women’s health and gynecology. Let’s take a read!

HPV vaccine credited for declining cervical precancer rates

Fewer precancerous lesions are being found in young women undergoing cervical cancer screenings thanks to the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. 

Rates of precancerous lesions in women between the ages of 20 and 24 dropped by roughly 80 percent from 2008 to 2022, according to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.  

About 10,800 cases of cervical cancer occur in the U.S. every year with most of them stemming from an infection from the human papillomavirus. 

The first ever HPV vaccine — Gardasil — was put on the market in 2006. Increasing vaccination rates have since worked to steadily knock down cases of the disease along with increased screening efforts. 

“Observed declines in cervical precancers are consistent with HPV vaccination impact and support Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations to vaccinate children against HPV at age 11–12 years with catch-up through age 26 years,” the CDC report reads

Some Types of HPV may affect men’s fertility new study suggests

The high-risk strains of human papillomavirus that are linked to cancer appear to also pose a threat to sperm quality.

Scientists have long considered that the world’s most common sexually transmitted infection, human papillomavirus, or HPV, may be a driver of infertility.

Most research about HPV’s potential impact on fertility has focused on women. But in recent years, researchers have increasingly expanded their focus to include the infection’s association with male fertility.

A new study from Argentinian researchers has found that the strains of HPV considered high risk because of their links to cancer were not only more common than low-risk strains in a small study population of men, they also appeared to pose a greater threat to sperm quality.

The study, published Friday in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, found that high-risk HPV appears to suppress key components of the immune system in the male genital tract. This could hamper the body’s ability to clear HPV, a process that typically takes about six months to a year after infection, while raising the risk of other infections that may also compromise male fertility.