Includes bibliographical references and index.

With the publication of The Harvard Guide to Women's Health, women now have access to the combined expertise of physicians from three of the world's most prestigious medical institutions: Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Brigham and Women's Hospital. This definitive guide is the one resource women can trust when looking for answers to their health questions. The Harvard Guide to Women's Health features: over 300 A-to-Z entries that answer - in plain English - the questions women most frequently ask their doctors; the practical experience of physicians who have cared for thousands of women at leading medical centers; authoritative medical knowledge from pioneers in the emerging field of women's primary care, and the critical guidance women need to navigate today's changing health care system; hard-to-find information about how common diseases and their treatments are different for women than for men, including heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and depression; incomparable coverage of the frequently overlooked emotional and social issues that are inseparable from women's physical health, such as domestic abuse, anorexia and bulimia, occupational hazards, and rape; balanced perspectives on controversies sometimes distorted in the popular media, such as estrogen replacement therapy, breast reconstruction, alcohol use, ideal body weight, and posttraumatic stress disorder; the special implications of conditions and therapies for pregnant or breastfeeding women, and advice on the health concerns of postmenopausal and elderly women; tips on how to record and describe symptoms, and how to ask the right questions about different treatment options; and over 250 illustrations and over 400 resources for further information, including the latest hotlines, newsletters, and online services.