The North American Menopause Society develops consensus opinions

Considerable consultation with experts in the field has led to the conclusions reached in the article entitled "NAMS Consensus Opinion." Both published literature and clinical experience were evaluated by a panel of distinguished experts who convened to prepare their recommendations for the NAMS Board of Trustees. The article may not express the only valid approach to the topic, but readers can be assured that, like all official NAMS materials, it has been drafted and reviewed with the full benefit of the Society's considerable expertise. The Society is grateful to the panelists, and to Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, whose unrestricted educational grant helped to defray costs associated with the conference. We also wish to clarify that although the term "NAMS consensus" is used, one should not assume that every single member of the Society agrees with the published findings. Such a constraint would necessarily prevent any organization from publishing its opinions. The Society hopes that the advice offered will be of assistance to the many different specialists charged with providing health care for the 4,000 women (in the U.S. alone) who are reaching menopause every day. We encourage your comments. You, our readers, will determine the way that future Society opinions will be presented.