ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that menopause is a major turning point for women, but not in the way these women in the Healthy Women Study or our cultural stereotypes suggest. Prior to reviewing the data relevant to each of these issues, the chapter reviews basic information about the menopause and when it occurs. The major cause of death in women is coronary heart disease (CHD) and it has long been thought that the menopause increases risk for CHD. Because of these types of data, we decided to study the natural history of the menopause to observe if and why behavioral and biological risk factors for cardiovascular disease might change during the menopausal transition. The chapter also reviews data suggesting that menopause is indeed a turning point, but not in the way our cultural stereotypes portray. In contrast to the view of midlife as a crisis and the menopause putting women between a rock and a hard place.
