Women's Health Research

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Abstract
In 1588, Michel Eyquem de Montaigne wrote: "Women are not entirely wrong when they reject the rules of life prescribed for the world, for they were established by men only, without their consent."1Montaigne's comment stretches across four centuries; a similar comment could be made about the recent status of women's health. Today, women are becoming more aware of their unique health concerns and are not only asking that prescriptions for their well-being be determined on the basis of gender-specific research, but that anxieties about their physical and mental health be addressed with sensitive and enlightened wisdom.2-7 From prehistoric times until this century, women had a shorter life span than men, predominately resulting from complications of childbirth and chronic malnutrition.8Life expectancy for American women now exceeds that of men by an average of 7.5 years.9Yet, this longer life expectancy does not necessarily imply a better