It is estimated that 55 million American women are now over the age of 50. The average woman will spend one-third to one-half of her life in menopause. Carolinas Physicians Network primary care and OB/GYN physicians can provide valuable information and guidance to women who are making the transition from peri-menopause to menopause.

Another option for maturing women is the Mid-Life Health Program at The Women's Institute at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. It provides up-to-date information and consultation for the peri-menopausal and menopausal patient. Prolonging good health and vitality throughout a woman's lifetime is a challenge faced by many menopausal women and the reason for the development of the Mid-Life Health Program.

The Components of the Mid-Life Health Program include:

• Referral based consultation.
• Educational programs emphasizing preventive healthcare for women as they approach climacteric and menopausal years.
• Discussion to include changes that occur during this part of life, (how and why menopause happens, physical symptoms and social adjustments), risks and benefits of hormone replacement and alternative medication for women who are unable to use hormone replacement therapy.
• Nutritional and exercise consultations, psychological evaluation, bone density determination, mammography, metabolic testing recommended deemed appropriate.
• Group and individual consults.
• Audiovisual and personal education programs.
• Written educational materials.

Meet The Staff: Wallace C. Nunley Jr., MD Chairman and residency director, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology, Carolinas Medical Center Paul B. Marshburn, MD Director, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Carolinas Medical Center Bradley S. Hurst, MD Director, Program for Assisted Reproduction; Associate Director, Reproductive Endocrinology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Michelle L. Matthews, MD Assistant Director, Program for Assisted Reproduction Mary Anne Wedell, R.N.C. Supervisor, Nursing

For more information or to make an appointment at The Women's Institute, call 704-355-3149.