A theoretical framework for considerations of women's health is pro- posed, the central premise of which is that "women's health" at the core means taking women's lived experience as the staning point for all health efforts. Elaboration of this, thesis involves: (I) surveying our philosophical roots for an understanding of what the lived experience means, (2) exploring the methodological consequences of a focus on the lived experience, and (3) applying these insights to the situations of woman as mother and of the overweight woman.