Women's health and menopause is a rapidly expanding field of medical practice and scientific investigation. Today, most women live long enough to become postmenopausal. This international and multidisciplinary monograph is based on extensive international review and evaluation of the scientific evidence for current clinical practices as presented in the published literature. It represents the culmination of 7 years of cooperation between the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the Giovanni Lorenzini Medical Science Foundation (Milan, Italy and Houston, TX) in a public/private partnership in the development and cosponsorship of four international conferences on Women's Health and Menopause since the mid-1990s. The first three conferences were held in Italy, and the most recent one was held in May 2001 in Washington, DC. The last two conferences were also cosponsored by the Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH), National Institutes of Health (NIH).

These conferences have addressed not only cardiovascular disease, but also other health problems, such as cancer, osteoporosis, and Alzheimer's disease, as well as the use and impact of hormone replacement therapy.

298 pages. NIH Publication No.: 02-3284.