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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 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2026) Menopause and long Covid. London: RCN.
Publication cover 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2025) Human Papillomavirus (HPV), cervical screening and cervical cancer. 3rd ed. London: RCN.
Publication cover 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2025) Promoting menstrual wellbeing. 3rd ed. London: RCN.
Publication cover 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2025) Nurse specialist in menopause. London: RCN.
Book cover 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2025) Menopause: RCN guidance. 3rd edn. London: RCN.
91¿´Æ¬Íø (2024) Cervical screening for physically disabled women and autistic women. London: RCN. 
Image of conscientious objection - termination of pregnancy/abortion care resource 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2024) Conscientious objection - termination of pregnancy/abortion care. London: RCN.
91¿´Æ¬Íø (2024) Sexual and reproductive health competency framework for women cared for in prison. London: RCN. 
Image of termination of pregnancy and abortion care resource 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2024) Termination of pregnancy and abortion care. London: RCN.
Image of advanced nursing practice for gynaecology and women’s health resource 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2024) Advanced nursing practice for gynaecology and women’s health. London: RCN.
Clinical nurse specialist in endometriosis 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2024) Clinical nurse specialist in endometriosis. London, RCN.
Image of Making sense of women’s health resource 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2024) Making sense of women’s health. London: RCN.
Image of What are PMS and PMDD resource 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2024) What are PMS and PMDD? London: RCN.
Book cover image 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2024) RCN position statement on Nursing Associates (NAs) training in cervical screening. England only. London: RCN.
91¿´Æ¬Íø (2023) Domestic abuse guidance. London: RCN.
Image of RCN position statement on menopause and you at work 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2023) RCN position statement on menopause and you at work. London: RCN.
Publication cover 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2023) Clinical nurse specialists in early pregnancy care: standards consensus statement. London: RCN
Report cover 91¿´Æ¬Íø (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 91¿´Æ¬Íø (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 91¿´Æ¬Íø (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 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2023) Genital examination in women. A resource for skills development and assessment. London: RCN.
Publication cover 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2023) Women’s health pocket guide. London: RCN.
Book cover 91¿´Æ¬Íø (2023) Modern slavery and trafficking: guidance. London: RCN.
Two nursing staff looking at a computer Clinical resources on RCN Learn

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

NHS: Women’s health
  • Information aimed at the public.
NHS England (2025) Cervical screening: programme and colposcopy management. 
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.
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

Use these links to see details of books the RCN libraries hold on each topic.

Journal articles

Use these links to see details of journal articles on each topic.

Journals

Journal cover Journals of interest for women's health. Use these links to see details of availability.

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.
  • Article: (no author) (1918) The health of a woman, British Journal of Nursing, 30 March, p.226-227.

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