Washington, DC -- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has updated, redesigned, and renamed its popular free magazine on menopause, now known as Pause^TM (formerly Managing Menopause and the Years Beyond^TM).

"The name Pause^TM seems particularly fitting for this stage of a woman's life," says Isaac Schiff, MD, chair of the magazine's Medical Advisory Board. "Menopause is an ideal time for a woman to take stock of her health and evaluate her lifestyle habits before moving ahead with the strength and wisdom she needs for the next third of life."

It's also a good time for physicians and patients to take stock of what medical science knows so far about menopause and symptoms like hot flashes, notes Executive Editor Penny Murphy.

"A lot has changed since Managing Menopause and the Years Beyond^TM debuted nine years ago," observes Ms. Murphy. "Back in 1997, the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) was just getting under way, and the Internet was a relatively new concept in American culture. Today, women want to know the latest not just on hormone therapy and its alternatives, but also on actions they can take to reduce their risks of heart disease or osteoporosis," she says.

In the last three years, the view of hormone therapy during menopause has undergone enormous change, after the release of WHI study data showing that the use of HT carries small but significant increased risks for breast cancer, stroke and heart attack. In the meantime, HT remains the most effective treatment to date for symptoms like hot flashes. A recent NIH panel found that some women go through menopause with few side effects, while others can experience severe hot flashes. This leaves a number of women navigating the transition through menopause with questions about how to find relief.

ACOG's advice: talk to your ob-gyn about risks and benefits of various therapies and decide what is right for you. Pause^TM is a tool to help that communication process.

The new issue of Pause^TM gives women and their doctors the same trusted information they've come to expect from Managing Menopause and the Years Beyond.^TM One of the most popular sections gives the latest ACOG task force recommendations on hormone therapy and its alternatives, including herbal products. But the magazine also places a great emphasis on lifestyle issues.

"A recent government report noted that we all need to 'de-medicalize' menopause a bit," says Dr. Schiff. "We still don't know which effects of this stage in a woman's life are related to menopause, and which are related to the aging process. This magazine deals with it all: what protective actions a woman can take for her health, and advice on when she might want to consider medical treatment."

Articles include:

• How to get started in a fitness program, including advice from fitness expert Kathy Smith;
• Keeping your sex life satisfying and safe;
• Decade-by-decade health tips and screening requirements;
• Important "heart numbers" to know; and
• How to protect yourself from long-term health concerns such as heart disease, osteoporosis, and breast cancer.

Pause^TM is written for women going through menopause or perimenopause (the transitional stage leading up to menopause). Published biannually and available free through participating ob-gyns' offices, the magazine has an annual circulation of over 1.5 million.

ACOG Fellows can order free copies of Pause^TM to give their patients, and journalists can receive a sample copy of the magazine, by calling ACOG's Office of Communications at 202-484-3321 or emailing communications@acog.org.