Artificial insemination: This means women no longer need to have sex to have babies. Great news for single women and lesbians who want to be mothers.

BREAST CANCER BREAK-THROUGHS: A recent study has found that new, gamma-ray cameras detect three times as many tiny tumors as standard mammography in women.

CONTRACEPTIVES: Have prevented the births of countless unwanted babies and made life more enjoyable for the living. Since its invention in the 1950's the contraceptive pill has given a great deal of power to women, enabling them to dictate when they want to start a family and how big that family should be. In addition it has reduced infant and maternal mortality, decreased overcrowding of the home which has improved sanitation and helped prevent infectious diseases. The pill has also enabled women to compete on more equal terms with men in many spheres of human activity.

DARK CHOCOLATE: Studies show that polyphenols in dark chocolate affect serotonin levels in the brain, boosting your mood. Dark chocolate has up to three times the antioxidants found in green tea and twice the antioxidants in red wine; that's good for your heart. Most important of all it can be used to decrease PMS symptoms - sweet!

EPIDURAL:Taking the pain out of pushing - well, some of the pain.

FLUOXETINE (trade name Prozac): A selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor, sometimes called "mother's little helper". It is used for treating depression, bulimia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. And it's not limited to women.

G-SPOT: The existence of which is something medical science hasn't confirmed.

HOME PREGNANCY TESTS: Nearly 100% accurate and gives results in minutes. Allows you to be the first to know.

IGNAZ SEMMELWEIS: Dramatically reduced the death rate of new mothers from "childbed fever" by promoting the simple idea that physicians should wash their hands before attending to women in childbirth.

JENNERIZATION: Dr Jenner developed vaccinations which have prevented many childhood diseases and made the lives of mothers incalculably better.

KEGEL EXERCISES: Strengthens and tones the vaginal walls where the muscles are often weakened during childbirth. Kegels thus reduce incontinence. They are also well known for increasing a woman's sexual pleasure.

LIBIGEL: A testosterone-based gel for women who have sexual dysfunction.

MENSTRUAL PAIN RELIEF: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs have helped thousands of women deal with recurrent period pain.

NIGHTINGALE: Florence laid the foundation for professional nursing which paved the way for women to become involved in the medical profession.

OBSTETRICS:This speciality devoted to women, pregnancy, childbirth has saved millions of lives and increased knowledge about the intricacies of pregnancy and childbirth.

PAP SMEAR: Invented by George Nicolas Papanicolaou to determine cancer in the early stages when it can be most easily treated. Millions of women receive a pap smear each year and deaths from cancer have been greatly reduced.

QUININE: Mother's other little helper - a gin and tonic - used to be a perfectly acceptable afternoon beverage for the stressed housewife. Now you can't even say the quinine is a prophylactic for malaria because modern versions of the mix have such a low content.

REMEDIES: There's nothing to beat the ones passed down from your granny.

SKIN: Three leading skin-renewal treatments have recently been proven medically effective: carbon dioxide laser resurfacing, topical retinol products and injections of hyaluronic acid.

TAMPONS: Not a life-saver, but an important contributor to quality of life.

ULTRASOUND: Enables mothers to see their unborn children in their uterus, and obstetricians to diagnose debilitating and dangerous conditions in fetuses, as well as to assess growth.

VIAGRA: Has made millions of men and women smile.

WINE: Tests have shown that resveratrol found in grapes and wine fights diabetes, affects cancer cells and can extend your life. So, goodbye apples, a good glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away.

X-RAYS: Became a major breakthrough in 1895, when Professor Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen made the invisible visible.

YOGA: A great way to relieve stress, improving health and quality of life.

ZZZZ: Studies show that sleep problems have more of an impact on female hearts than they have on the cardio systems of men. Which is why we should get much more than we do.