GROWING OLDER-LATER

Television advertisements promise that the 20th-century woman can look younger and feel younger if only she applies the cosmetologic marvels being advertised. However, it appears that nature, without artificial assistance, has contrived to bless womanhood with a longer period of "endocrinologic youth." Frommer¹ has recently reported that, in the decade before 1961, the median age of menopause of women in Great Britain was 50.1 years. This represents an increase of approximately four years in the age of menopause compared with that of a century ago. This trend is not peculiar to Great Britain; other studies have shown that a comparable delay in the age of menopause has occurred in most European countries since the last century. There is no certain explanation for these changes, although better nutrition and improved environmental conditions may play important roles. It is known that few pregnancies are associated with early menopause; therefore, delayed onset