The Controversial Climacteric [antikvár]

Preface Three International Congresses on the Menopause have been held during the last ftve years, evidence of the explosive increase in the scientifíc study of this subject. The first, held in La Grandé Motte, near Montpellier, Francé, in June 1976, was designed to provide a consensus on menopause research (van Keep et al., 1976). The second, held in Jerusalem, was planned to assess the developing research (van Keep et al., 1979). The objective of the third congress, convened in June 1981 in Ostend, Belgium, under the auspices of the International Menopause Society, was to explore areas of controversy in basic understanding and in the therapeutic advances relating to the climacteric. The workshop moderators were selected because of their acknowledged leadership in menopause research, and each was invited to arrange a workshop on a specific area of interest or concern. The moderators, whilst being given a free hand as far as the selection of invited speakers was concerned, were asked to allow plenty of time for open discussion. In particular, they were encouraged to stimulate debate about controversial issues. The only plenary session of the congress was held on the final afternoon of the three-day meeting, when each moderátor presented a report on the workshop over which he had presided. It is these reports, sometimes slightly elaborated upon, which are presented here. This book therefore represents a comprehensive summation of current thinking on the subject of the climacteric, as presented by over 100 investigators from 17 countries. It alsó highlights areas in which further research is felt to be needed in order to settle important issues, or, in somé instances, to clarify details. It is hoped that the congress itself and this book will act as a catalyst for further investigations, which can