Preventive health care for older women.

We have encountered the beginning of a new problem: the social challenge is shifting from population control to the consequences of population aging. The older segment of our population is increasing, and it is dominated by women. By age 85, only 45 men are alive for every 100 women. Our best health strategy is to postpone clinical illness by preventive health care. The menopause occurs at a strategic time in life, when preventive health care can have a major impact. The issues of preventive health care for women are familiar ones: family planning, cessation of smoking, prevention of heart disease and osteoporosis, maintenance of mental and sexual well-being, cancer screening and treatment of urologic problems.