ACOG Launches New Menopause Website

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 23 Jun 2009 - 3:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   view / write opinions   rate article

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has launched a new website devoted to women who are approaching or going through menopause to provide them with the necessary information they need to make informed decisions about their health. The ACOG-sponsored website can be found at http://pause.acog.org.

The cornerstone of the website is ACOG's award-winning consumer magazine, pause®, now in its twelfth year. "ACOG's menopause magazine has experienced tremendous success since it began as a print magazine in 1997. The pause® website is the natural next step and is designed with the perimenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal woman in mind," said Isaac Schiff, MD, chair of the pause® Medical Advisory Board and chief of the Vincent Obstetrics and Gynecology Service at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Joe Vincent Meigs Professor of Gynecology at Harvard Medical School in Boston. "As the most trusted source of information on women's health, ACOG is excited to move into the digital age with a menopause-related website and the recent debut of pause® online, both of which offer expanded, reliable, and timely content."

About 61% of adults have searched online for health information, and women are the largest segment of health seekers online. Nearly nine in 10 women have used the internet for health information, including finding doctors, seeking treatment options, and researching specific diagnoses. "Almost all women have questions about menopause. With an estimated 6,000 US women reaching menopause every day, ACOG hopes that with our online resource we can help the millions of women looking for guidance as they navigate midlife health changes," noted Penelope Murphy, MS, director of ACOG's Office of Communications and editor-in-chief of pause® magazine.

"Another goal of ACOG's is to help women become better advocates for their own health," said Gerald F. Joseph Jr, MD, ACOG president. "As women's health physicians, we encourage our patients to become active participants in their own health care and to partner with their ob-gyn. The pause® website helps women be proactive about their health and keeps them up-to-date on important information they need in order to take charge of their health."

The pause® website addresses issues such as hot flashes, sleep problems, urinary incontinence, depression, and osteoporosis. Women can also find health information on heart disease, hormone therapy, breast cancer, diet and nutrition, and exercise for the aging woman.

Other features of the site include:

- "Ask the Doctor"-frequently asked questions about menopause are answered by leading experts in ob-gyn
- The latest guidelines for a wide range of medical conditions related to midlife health and information on how to reduce the risk of disease later in life
- The different therapies available to ease menopause symptoms
- Health statistics and facts
- Practical strategies for getting and staying healthy
- Related links that direct women to key resources on a broad range of health topics related to menopause
- Tips on how to prepare for a visit to the doctor
- Important preventive tests and health screenings
- Health news on current issues in women's health

Source
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)