Happy National Women’s Health Week! In honor of this week bringing light to important women’s health issues, I wanted to walk through a brief history of innovations that shaped one of the largest facets of women’s health – reproductive health...

1. A History of Reproductive Health
By: Madison Wheeler
Happy National Women’s Health Week! In honor of this week bringing light to
important women’s health issues, I wanted to walk through a brief history of innovations that
shaped one of the largest facets of women’s health – reproductive health.
The first-ever oral contraceptive was officially approved by the FDA in 1960. The drug,
Enovid, was originally submitted for regulatory approval in 1957 as a treatment for infertility
and menstrual disorders. Two years later, in 1959, Enovid was submitted for approval as an oral
contraceptive.1 Thus, “The Pill” was born and kickstarted the regulatory landscape for women’s
health. The regulatory submission for Enovid as an oral contraceptive included data from the
largest drug trials ever run, including 897 women who had taken 10,427 cycles of the pill.2
The approval of “The Pill” jumpstarted an important scientific movement aimed at
developing safe and effective contraceptives. In the ’80s, the Copper IUD, ParaGard, was
approved by the FDA. Almost 2 decades later, in 2001, the first hormonal IUD was made
available. Current data shows that IUDs are the second most popular form of contraception,
behind the pill, with approximately 4.4 million users in the US.3 The modern IUD was a modern
marvel with respect to women’s health. As a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC), it
provided women effective control over their reproductive health with reduced risk for user error.
In 2018, the CDC estimated that nearly 70% of all women in the United States used some
form of contraception.4 While contraceptives are easily accessible in the US, there is a shortage
of available contraceptives to women in some developing countries, constituting a global
reproductive health emergency. As technology continues to develop, and more focus is given to
important women’s health issues, birth control as we know it continues to develop to be more
safe, effective, and accessible.
All forms of contraception, from condoms to IUDs, fall within the jurisdiction of the
FDA. As a proud women-owned business, EMMA International has helped bring safe and
effective women’s health products to the market. If you are in need of quality and regulatory
support, give us a call at 248-987-4497 or email info@emmainternational.com to learn more.
1 Junod, S., Ph.D(1998) FDA’s Approvalofthe First Oral Contraceptive, Enovidretrievedon 05/11/2021from:
https://www.fda.gov/media/110456/download#:~:text=The%20first%20oral%20contraceptive%20was,developed%20as%20an%20oral%20cont
raceptive).
2 PBS (n.d.) The FDAApproves thePillretrieved on05/11/2021from: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/pill-us-food-
and-drug-administration-approves-pill/
3 Kavanaugh, M., &Hubacher,D. (2018) Historical record-setting trends inIUD use in theUnited States retrieved on 05/11/2021 from:
https://www.contraceptionjournal.org/article/S0010-7824(18)30192-
6/pdf#:~:text=US%20data%20from%20the%20National,imately%204.4%20million%20%5B4%5D.
4 CDC (2018) Current ContraceptiveStatus Among Women retrieved on05/13/2021from:
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db327.htm#:~:text=In%202015%E2%80%932017%2C%2064.9%25,and%20male%20condom%2
0(8.7%25).