Gender equity shapes poverty and the experience of disease in multiple ways; yet to date, there has been little attention paid to gender equity in neglected tropical diseases (NTD) control efforts Drawing on literature, the knowledge and experience of the authors, and discussions at a meeting on women, girls and NTDs, this paper provides five key lessons from over 20 years of gender mainstreaming in health It links this learning to Mass Drug Administration (MDA), which has been a core prevention and treatment strategy for NTDs for several decades.