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Women's Health

Find information resources about women’s health including key resources, books, and journal articles. This guide is for RCN members including nursing students, nursing support workers, and registered nurses.

Last updated: 20/05/2026

Key Resources

Book cover Royal College of Nursing (2026) Menopause and long Covid. London: RCN.
Publication cover Royal College of Nursing (2025) Human Papillomavirus (HPV), cervical screening and cervical cancer. 3rd ed. London: RCN.
Publication cover Royal College of Nursing (2025) Promoting menstrual wellbeing. 3rd ed. London: RCN.
Publication cover Royal College of Nursing (2025) Nurse specialist in menopause. London: RCN.
Book cover Royal College of Nursing (2025) Menopause: RCN guidance. 3rd edn. London: RCN.
Royal College of Nursing (2024) Cervical screening for physically disabled women and autistic women. London: RCN. 
Image of conscientious objection - termination of pregnancy/abortion care resource Royal College of Nursing (2024) Conscientious objection - termination of pregnancy/abortion care. London: RCN.
Royal College of Nursing (2024) Sexual and reproductive health competency framework for women cared for in prison. London: RCN. 
NHS Wales (2024) The NHS Wales women’s health plan 2025-2035. Cardiff: Public Health Wales. 
Scottish Government (2026) Women's health plan: phase two (2026 - 2029). Edinburgh: Scottish Government.
Image of termination of pregnancy and abortion care resource Royal College of Nursing (2024) Termination of pregnancy and abortion care. London: RCN.
Image of advanced nursing practice for gynaecology and women’s health resource Royal College of Nursing (2024) Advanced nursing practice for gynaecology and women’s health. London: RCN.
Clinical nurse specialist in endometriosis Royal College of Nursing (2024) Clinical nurse specialist in endometriosis. London, RCN.
Image of Making sense of women’s health resource Royal College of Nursing (2024) Making sense of women’s health. London: RCN.
Image of What are PMS and PMDD resource Royal College of Nursing (2024) What are PMS and PMDD? London: RCN.
Book cover image Royal College of Nursing (2024) RCN position statement on Nursing Associates (NAs) training in cervical screening. England only. London: RCN.
Royal College of Nursing (2023) Domestic abuse guidance. London: RCN.
Image of RCN position statement on menopause and you at work Royal College of Nursing (2023) RCN position statement on menopause and you at work. London: RCN.
Publication cover Royal College of Nursing (2023) Clinical nurse specialists in early pregnancy care: standards consensus statement. London: RCN
Report cover Royal College of Nursing (2023) Female genital mutilation. RCN guidance for sexual health care. London: RCN.
Image of Female genital mutilation. An RCN resource for nursing and midwifery practice.resource Royal College of Nursing (2023) Female genital mutilation. An RCN resource for nursing and midwifery practice. 5th edn. London: RCN.
Image of Female genital mutilation. RCN guidance for travel health services resource Royal College of Nursing (2023) Female genital mutilation. RCN guidance for travel health services. London: RCN. 
Image of Genital examination in women. A resource for skills development and assessment Royal College of Nursing (2023) Genital examination in women. A resource for skills development and assessment. London: RCN.
Publication cover Royal College of Nursing (2023) Women’s health pocket guide. London: RCN.
Book cover Royal College of Nursing (2023) Modern slavery and trafficking: guidance. London: RCN.
RCN Clinical Topics: Domestic violence and abuse
RCN Clinical Topics: Female genital mutilation
RCN Clinical Topics: Women's health
RCN Clinical Topics: Modern slavery and human trafficking

Department of Health and Social Care (2022) Women's health strategy for England [CP736]. London: DHSC.

NHS: Women’s health
NHS England (2025) Cervical screening: programme and colposcopy management. 
Patient Safety Commissioner (2024) The Hughes report: options for redress for those harmed by valproate and pelvic mesh.
We would like to thank the RCN Women's Health member community for their input into the development of this subject guide.

Books

Cover of Analysing gender in healthcare: the politics of sex and reproduction Cooper S (2023) Analysing gender in healthcare: the politics of sex and reproduction. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG.
Cover of enough: because we can stop cervical cancer Eckert L (2024) Enough: because we can stop cervical cancer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Book cover Everett S (2025) Handbook of contraception and sexual health. 5th edn. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Book cover Genazzani A R, Goldstein S R and Simoncini T (eds.) (2024) Menstrual bleeding and pain disorders from adolescence to menopause. Volume 11, Frontiers in gynecological endocrinology. Cham: Springer.
Book cover Geraghty P (ed.) (2022) Each woman's menopause: an evidence based resource: for nurse practitioners, advanced practice nurses and allied health professionals. Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Book cover Gupta S, Holloway D and Kubba A (2021) Oxford handbook of women's health nursing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Book cover Hendrickx S, Hendrickx J and Gould J (2024) Women and girls on the autism spectrum : understanding life experiences from early childhood to old age. 2nd edn. London: Jessica Kingsley.
Image of the textbook living well with menopause Hunter M and Smith M (2024) Living well through the menopause. London: Robinson.
Cover of a life course approach to women’s health Mishra G D, Hardy R Dr, Kuh D and Murray A (2023) A life course approach to women’s health. 2nd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Cover of advanced health assessment of women: skills, procedures, and management Secor R M and Holland A (2024) Advanced health assessment of women: skills, procedures, and management. 5th edn. New York: Springer Publishing Company, Incorporated.
Book cover Sharma A. (2025) Endometriosis in primary care: a practical guide. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Cover of Divided racism, medicine and why we need to decolonise healthcare Sowemimo A (2023) Divided: racism, medicine and why we need to decolonise healthcare. London: Wellcome Collection.
Cover of understanding ADHD in girls and women. Steer J (2021) Understanding ADHD in girls and women. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Book subject searches

Events and Exhibitions

Exhibition cover RCN exhibition: The wandering womb
  • Women have long been viewed as at the mercy of their biology. How has nursing as a profession challenged the myths and misconceptions around women's health? This exhibition explored themes including menstruation, miscarriage, menopause and gynaecological cancers.
    View online exhibition

Nursing History Collection

Book cover Graham H (1993) Hardship and health in women’s lives. Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf.
Book cover Moscucci O (1993) The science of woman: gynaecology and gender in England, 1800-1929. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Book cover Nelson J (2015) More than medicine: a history of the feminist women’s health movement. New York: New York University Press.

Podcasts

Special Collections

Our Permanent Collection consists of nursing specific core items and rare items. It is viewable by appointment at the RCN Library and Museum. Here is a small selection of items from our collection
Bermosk L (1979) Women's health and human wholeness. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Leeson J (1978) Women and medicine. London: Tavistock.
Quain R (1895) A dictionary of medicine : including general pathology, general therapeutics, hygiene, and the diseases of women and children. London: Longmans, Green & Co.

Historical Journals

The Nursing Record/British Journal of Nursing (1888-1956)
  • Digitised journal available online.
    View page
  • Article: (no author) (1918) The health of a woman, British Journal of Nursing, 30 March, p.226-227.
    View page

This subject guide relates to:

RCN Library staff

Abigail Kleboe

Editor of this guide

RCN Library and Museum

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Page last updated - 20/05/2026