Challenges in Older Women’s Health

The number of Americans 65 years of age or older is projected to more than double to over 98 million by 2060, making them 24% of the overall population. Women constitute more than 50% of this group. Most clinicians who provide primary care for older women receive minimal training about their unique health issues and needs during residency however, and few resources exist to guide them regarding these issues in practice.

This book provides user-friendly, evidence-based guidance to manage common challenges in healthcare for women during menopause and beyond, filling a huge and growing unmet need for primary care clinicians. Edited by a multidisciplinary team with content expert authors from family medicine, oncology, urogynecology, obstetrics and gynecology, psychology, and more, this text provides clinically relevant information about important conditions impacting the health of older women, including suggested guidelines for management and helpful resources for patient counselling and care. 

The first half of the book covers general topics such as menopause, bone health, depression and grief, cancer survivorship, and obesity. The second half focuses on issues below the belt that are difficult to talk about, such as incontinence, vulvar pathology, and sexual health after menopause.

While there is copious literature about the menopausal transition, few resources for clinicians exist about caring for women beyond the 6^th decade. Challenges in Older Women’s Health: A primer for clinicians provides focused, evidence-based information about high-yield topics for a too often neglected group of patients. 

• Geriatric
• Menopause
• Women's Health
• Bone Health
• Pelvic Organ Prolapse
• Urinary and Bowel Incontinence

• Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, USA

  Heidi W. Brown

• Division of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, USA

  Makeba Williams

• Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, USA

  Sarina Schrager

Heidi W. Brown, MD, MAS, FACOG; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

 Makeba Williams, MD, FACOG, NCMP; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Academic Specialists in Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

Heidi W. Brown, MD, MAS, FACOG is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery. Dr. Brown is a graduate of Brown University and the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. She completed residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Pittsburgh and fellowship in Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of California - San Diego, where she also received a Masters of Advanced Studies in Clinical Research. Dr. Brown's research focuses on improving access to effective treatments for pelvic floor disorders (urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence, and pelvic organ prolapse) for women across the lifespan. She practices in a multidisciplinary Women’s Pelvic Wellness Clinic in Madison, WI.

Makeba Williams, MD, FACOG, NCMP is an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. She is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and has achieved special designation as a North American Menopause Society Certified Menopause Practitioner. Dr. Williams is a graduate of Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN. She completed her obstetrics and gynecology residency at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University Health System in Richmond, VA. Dr. Williams has extensive experience caring for women of all ages, particularly women at midlife and beyond. She is the founding director of the UW Health Menopause Clinic, a resident-staffed clinic dedicated to treating midlife women. Serving as a consultant to colleagues and primary care providers locally and regionally, Dr. Williams has helped fill a unique gap in specialized services for the care of the menopausal woman.

Sabrina Schrager, MD MS, is a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.  She is a graduate of Dartmouth College and received her MD degree from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago in 1992. She completed her residency in family medicine at the MacNeal Hospital program in Berwyn, Illinois in 1995 and then completed a self-designed fellowship in Women’s Health at MacNeal that combined graduate work in Women’s Studies with clinical care in family medicine. Her teaching focus is on women’s health education for residents.  She has been on the faculty of the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health since 1996 and has co-edited 4 books and published over 75 peer reviewed manuscripts.   Her current research interests include work life balance and shared decision making in cancer screening. She practices full spectrum family medicine and leads faculty development for her department.

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