National Call Your Doctor Day - This day reminds and encourages women to schedule their yearly Well-Woman Exam.

National Call Your Doctor Day 2024 – June 11, 2024

National Call Your Doctor Day is observed on the second Tuesday of June, on June 13 this year, to remind and encourage women to schedule their yearly Well-Woman Exam. The Well-Woman Exam is an exam for women to review their reproductive health. The reason why this day is observed midway through the year is that many women delay routine care. They place other priorities before their health, like work, family, and other obligations. In this way, they overlook the fact that a single phone call can save their lives.

History of National Call Your Doctor Day

The first milestone in terms of women’s health came in 1921 with the appearance of the first successful sanitary pad. The Kimberly-Clark company introduced Kotex (from the phrase ‘cotton-like texture’), which was made from Cellucotton and developed during World War I as bandage material.In 1916, America got its first birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York. In 1931, New York gynecologist Robert Tilden Frank came up with the concept of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in his paper stating that premenstrual disturbances were linked to ovarian cycles. Next, the first disposable tampon arrived in 1933 after Dr. Earle Haas patented it.A breakthrough came in May 1960 when the FDA approved the sale of the first oral contraceptive, Enovid, which was also known simply as the Pill, manufactured by the Searle pharmaceutical company. Within two years, Enovid was being taken by more than one million women in the U.S.Breast health saw advances when mammography came about in 1969 with the creation of low-radiation mammograms. And the first digital mammography machine was approved in 2000. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled, in 1973, against the state and federal restrictions on first-trimester abortions, deeming them unconstitutional. Much later, in 1999, the FDA finally approved the emergency contraceptive pill (Plan B) for prescription use. However, it took the FDA seven more years to approve Plan B available for over-the-counter sales to women over the age of 18. The age was lowered to 17 in July 2009.Bright Pink, the NGO that founded Call Your Doctor Day, was founded by Lindsay Avner. She was the youngest woman in the U.S. to undergo a double mastectomy in 2007. Finally, on June 21, 2016, Bright Pink, announced National Call Your Doctor Day to encourage women to schedule their yearly Well-Woman Exam.

National Call Your Doctor Day timeline

1849
The Country's First Female Doctor

Elizabeth Blackwell graduates from New York's Geneva Medical College with an MD degree.

1916
The First Birth Control Clinic

Margaret Sanger, America's most famous advocate for birth control, opens America's first birth control clinic in Brooklyn, New York on October 16.

1931
PMS 'Discovered'

New York gynecologist Robert Tilden Frank publishes his paper about women who are handicapped by premenstrual disturbances, stating that this is linked to ovarian cycles.

1970
Women's Health by the Book

The women's liberation conference of 1969, in Boston, leads to the creation of “Our Bodies, Ourselves,” a health book by women for women, that revolutionizes views about women’s bodies.

National Call Your Doctor Day FAQs

Why is March 30 Doctors Day?

The idea for Doctors’ Day came from Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles B. Almond, and the date chosen was the anniversary of the first use of general anesthesia in surgery. 

How do you thank a doctor?

Bright Pink is based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the only national NGO focused on the aim to prevent breast and ovarian cancer in young women along with their early detection.

What do you do when your doctor isn't calling back?

If you don’t hear back from your healthcare provider within two working days, try calling or emailing again. Reaching out to someone else in the practice, such as another doctor, a physician’s assistant, or the practice manager, will expedite the response time.

How To Observe National Call Your Doctor Day

  1. Schedule an appointment

    If you are a woman, call your nearest doctor and schedule an appointment to take your annual Well-Woman Exam. If you are a male, encourage your female family members to book an appointment.

  2. Organize an event

    Organize an event in your area. Invite a local doctor and ask them to speak about the importance of having regular health check-ups. Share some moments on social media.

  3. Do your research

    Do your research about the recent advancements in the field of health and medicine. You can also talk to your doctor to gain more knowledge of potential health issues and how you can avoid them.

5 Facts About Women’s Health That You Didn’t Know

  1. Women are more health-conscious

    Excluding pregnancy-related visits, women are 33% more likely to pay a visit to a doctor than men.

  2. Unscheduled health

    A 2015 survey stated that nine of out 10 millennials do not schedule preventive doctor’s appointments.

  3. A regular suggestion

    It is suggested for women of 21 years and older to see a gynecologist every six months to a year.

  4. The first woman at the NY Academy of Medicine

    Mary Putnam Jacobi was the first woman to be accepted into the New York Academy of Medicine in the 1890s.

  5. First sports bra

    In 1977, University of Vermont graduate student and runner Lisa Lindahl came up with the idea of sewing together two men's jockstraps to provide support and comfort for women athletes.

Why National Cancer Day is Important

  1. It prioritizes health

    National Call Your Doctor Day aims to engage women to make staying healthy a priority. This is the first step towards meeting health obligations in the future.

  2. It promotes a healthier life

    National Call Your Doctor Day promotes establishing a baseline for your future health concerns. This serves to improve opportunities for identifying risk factors.

  3. It stresses preventive care

    National Call Your Doctor Day stresses the importance of preventative care. Regular screenings and check-ups are no doubt effective but simple modifications in your lifestyle do bring great results for your health.

National Call Your Doctor Day dates

Year Date Day
2022 June 14 Tuesday
2023 June 13 Tuesday
2024 June 11 Tuesday
2025 June 10 Tuesday
2026 June 9 Tuesday