[Why has menopause become a public health problem?].

Menopause is a very important public health problem for many reasons. DEMOGRAPHIC: In 1990 there were 467 million women aged 50 years or more; worldwide, they will number 1200 million in 2030. SOCIOLOGICAL: The expectation of life in the Occident for a 50-year-old woman is a further 33 years, thus at this point, a menopausal women is still in active employment. PHYSIOLOGICAL: Menopause is not a disease, but gives rise to many problems which involve the entire body. MEDICAL: The only available treatment for this phase of the woman's life is oestrogens. These drugs induce many beneficial effects but the large-scale treatment of women who are not ill brings into question the harmlessness of this approach. ECONOMIC: The cost of medical treatment and regular review have to be considered in addition to the increased cost of pensions for these women. HUMAN: The improved quality of life observed with the medical treatment of such women could be an added dimension of the classical evaluation of the benefit/risk ratio.