Menopause

The area of menopausal medicine is undergoing rapid evolution as millions of baby boomers enter this life stage. This group came of age at a time when all cultural values and institutions, including the basic assumptions underlying the healthcare of women, underwent intense scrutiny. As a result, alternative approaches to everything from childbirth to menopause have become increasingly mainstream. This article gives the healthcare provider both the philosophical background and practical solutions necessary to assist the menopausal woman in choosing an individualized program to minimize her risk for disease and maximize her postmenopausal health potential by combining the best of both conventional and alternative medical approaches.