For more than 25 years, The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) has been a leading source of information about menopause for healthcare professionals, as well as for midlife women. In conjunction with the publication of the fully revised 2014 edition of its premier textbook, Menopause Practice: A Clinician’s Guide, NAMS’ desire was to provide a succinct informational guide to improve the understanding and management of women’s health at this critical stage of life. These recommendations provide a brief overview of each topic as presented in the textbook. Published in the October 2014 issue of the journal Menopause, this guide is freely available here.
In addition to covering the key topics of vasomotor symptoms, osteoporosis, and vulvovaginal health, this guide includes information and clinical recommendations for care on more than 50 important topics, including sexual function, cognition, cardiovascular health, thyroid disease, and cancer. Additional sections review basic physiology, counseling issues, screening tests, and complementary and alternative medicine. Each topic is written by an expert in the field, including internationally recognized gynecologists, internists, medical and reproductive endocrinologists, cardiologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, dermatologists, oncologists, and counselors.
We hope that these evidence-based recommendations will be a valuable resource for clinicians and further the mission of NAMS in promoting the health and quality of life of all women during midlife and beyond.