Menopause is the time in a woman's life after her menses has stopped. Many people use the term menopause to describe the years leading up to and following the last period. The time before the total cessation of menses when periods are irregular (usually 3 to 5 years before the final menstrual period) is more accurately termed the climacteric or perimenopause. Menopause may be natural, artificial, or premature. Menopause is usually identified retrospectively, when it has been over a year since the woman's last monthly period. Everything afterward is generally referred to as postmenopause, a time of estrogen-deficiency.
The average age of menopause in American women is 51 but it may begin as early as age 35 and as late as 59. Cigarette smokers tend to reach menopause earlier than non-smokers. Menopause is an experience that is unique to each woman. Some women notice little difference in their physiology while others find the change extremely troublesome and upsetting.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and stroke (cerebrovascular disease) are among the top three leading causes of death in OECD countries (OECD 2001). Cardiovascular disease, cancer and stroke rank number one through three respectively. These diseases have significant economic implications from a health policy perspective. The most cost effective approach in the long run is prevention which will require adjustments in health related behaviour. In the short run, at least, the health care system will continue to be responsible for management of CVD and stroke through medical interventions.
These interventions include surgery, rehabilitation, and pharmacotherapy, of which the latter is the most frequently used. Pharmacotherapy is used to ameliorate a variety of CVD and stroke risk factors, to provide symptomatic relief, to offer maintenance care, and to directly address the causes of disease. For CVD and stroke, drug therapy is the mainstay of maintenance care and a significant component of medical strategies designed to prevent acute events. Once CVD and stroke patients begin drug therapy it continues for the remainder of their lives. Thus, pharmacotherapy has the potential for significant clinical, economic, and humanistic impact which is likely to increase in importance as the population in OECD countries becomes more elderly.
The future of consumer payments is electronic, secure, easy to use, and right around the corner. With that prospect in mind, Wells Fargo® has sponsored this Javelin Strategy & Research White Paper to help merchants think through current and future decisions related to payment options, and distribution channels. Wells Fargo is committed to continuing to partner with merchants in the implementation and processing of existing as well as new payment options.
Evolving merchant needs, technology innovation, government regulations, fraud and security, and demographic trends are converging to accelerate the pace of payment electronification. Payment electronification is defined here as the migration from cash and checks to electronic alternatives. These trends are leading to a period of rapid growth of electronic payments while at the same time shrinking the number of checks written each year.
