Interest in sexuality and reproductive function does not cease when people begin to age. Instead, a new set of questions arises. Women want to know if it is safe to have babies in their late thirties and early forties. They want to know more about hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause-which ones are dangerous and which are merely uncomfortable. They are eager to learn about the relative risks and benefits of estrogen replacement therapy. Men, too, are concerned about age-related changes in their sexual function. Experts in reproductive physiology, gerontology, and genetics met at the National Institutes of Health in June of 1984 to discuss these and other concerns about aging and the reproductive system. The conference on Aging, Reproduc tion, and the Climacteric was sponsored by the American Fertility Society, The National Institute on Aging, and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. This volume is based on the proceedings of that confer ence."

This book, by two of the most distinguished figures in fertility and reproduction research, answers all the most common questions about menaupause and andropause, and hormone resupplement therapy (HRT) for menopausal women. It offers explanations of all aspects of this subject, presenting balanced and reliable information about benefits, risks, and prospects for this field. Segal invented Norplant, the first long-term implantable contraceptive, and as the leader of Reproductive Biology at the Population Council, he orchestrated and coordinated the research and trials leading to basically every new contraceptive introduced over a period of about 25 years. Mastroianni did more than anyone else to develop in vitro fertizilation as a viable treatment option, and was for many years the chairman of the largest department of obstetrics and gynecology, and the director of the most successful IVF clinic. This book is unique in including coverage of the climacteric in men.