There are currently 3.7 million African-American women aged 35-54 year
s, and over the next 20 years virtually all of them will experience me
nopause. Although menopause itself is generally thought of as a natura
lly occurring biological phenomenon, undergoing the process can increa
se a woman's risk of disease. This phenomenon is common to women in al
l racial and ethnic groups. Across these groups, however, the process
may be subject to great variability. This article does not include iss
ues related to all minority women, but instead focuses on menopause in
African-American women. It is important to note that there may be iss
ues among Asian and Hispanic women that are very different from those
of whites and blacks. Unfortunately, there is very little epidemiologi
c data on menopause or its antecedents in African-American women or in
women of other minority groups. To stimulate epidemiologic research i
nto the process of menopause among African-American women, this report
will examine data from clinical and government sources. A common prob
lem is that these sources overlook aspects of menopause important for
the health of black women in mid and later life, such as menopause-ass
ociated symptoms, potentially beneficial hormonal therapies, and poten
tially debilitating skeletal disease.