Women's Health in Early Modern Europe

Women’s health in Early Modern Europe (roughly 16th-18th centuries) was influenced by limited medical knowledge, social customs, and religious beliefs. Women's health concerns often focused on childbirth, fertility, and menstrual issues, with treatments varying from herbal remedies to misguided practices. Female health was also tied to societal roles, with women’s well-being linked to their reproductive capacity. Medical understanding was rudimentary, and women frequently had little access to formal healthcare, relying instead on midwives and folk remedies. Though their health experiences were shaped by their social and cultural contexts, women’s health issues were often misunderstood and undervalued by the prevailing medical practices of the time.