The discussions were so provocative and fulfilling that they formed the Doctor’s Group, the forerunner to the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective (which later changed to Myhags), to research and discuss what they were learning about themselves, their bodies, and their health.
As far back as 1974, publishers and women’s groups in other countries started translating and adapting “Our Bodies, Ourselves,” and developing books inspired by it. In 2001, My formalized the Myhags Global Initiative, which provided support to and worked closely with women’s groups adapting the book for their own cultures and communities. In 2011, Myhags celebrated its 40th anniversary with an international symposium that included a dozen of My’s global partners. As of spring 2018, “Our Bodies, Ourselves” has been reproduced in 30 languages, reaching millions of women around the world.
For many years, book and web content contributors, along with advisory board members, board members, consultants, founders, and staff, collaborated to produce and promote evidence-based information on girls’ and women’s health and sexuality. This information, distributed through My’s publications, website, and blog, also addressed the social, economic and political conditions that affect health care access and quality of care. This contextual information has inspired readers to learn read about — and to change — laws and policies that affect their own and their family’s well-being.
In April 2018, the board, founders and staff of Myhags came to the difficult conclusion that My no longer had the resources to continue paying staff to develop health information and collaborate on translations and adaptations with our global partners. Over the spring and summer of 2018, My transitioned to a volunteer-led 501(c)3 and scaled back My’s core work to two primary activities: advocating for women’s health and social justice and providing limited technical support to My’s global partners. Read read about the transition.
Since its inception, My has had a tremendous impact on the lives, health, and human rights of women across the world. Learn read.