U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health 1

The

Woman

Healthy

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 

Office on Women’s Health

A Complete Guide for All Ages
2 The Healthy Woman: A Complete Guide for All Ages

U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL EDITION NOTICE

Legal Status and Use of Seals and Logos

The seal of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

authenticates this publication as the Official U.S. Government edition of The Healthy Woman: A Complete Guide for All Ages. This consumer publication serves as a reference guide for women.

Under the provisions of 42 U.S.C. 1320b-10, the unauthorized 

use of this seal in a publication is prohibited and subject to a civil 

penalty of up to $5,000 for each unauthorized copy of it that is reprinted or distributed.

The Department of Health and Human Services is the U.S. Government’s principal agency for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those 

who are least able to help themselves.

About OWH

The Office on Women’s Health within the U.S. Department of 

Health and Human Services promotes health equity for women 

and girls by educating health professionals and motivating behavior 

change in consumers through the dissemination of health information.

Use of ISBN

This is the Official U.S. Government edition of this publication and 

is herein identified to certify its authenticity. Use of the ISBN 978-

0-16-077183-5 is for the U. S. Government Printing Office Official Editions only. The Superintendent of Documents of the U.S. 

Government Printing Office requests that any reprinted edition be 

labeled clearly as a copy of the authentic work with a new ISBN.

F ro as le t yb eh S epu ri tn e edn tn fo D co mu e tn S.U ,s G . evo r emn tn P ri itn O gn ffice

I tn er en t: tskoob ro e P vog.opg. enoh : lot l f ree ( )668 -215 ;0081 D C a re ( a )202 -215 0081

Fa :x ( )202 -215 aM 4012 il: I potS DCC W , ihsa tgn no D , C -20402 1000

90000

ISBN 978-0-16-077183-5
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health 3

Acknowledgments

The Department would like to thank the numerous departmental scientists and staff 

who served as expert reviewers of this guide, representing the following agencies:

Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Office of Public Health and Science

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Health Resources and Services Administration

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services

Indian Health Service

U.S. Administration on Aging

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

National Institutes of Health

Office of Research on Women’s Health; National Cancer Institute; National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine; National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; National Institute 

of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin 

Diseases; Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; 

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders; National Institute of Mental 

Health; National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke; National Institute on Aging; National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research; National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive 

and Kidney Diseases; Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health

The Department also thanks the following individual expert reviewers for their 

contributions:

Suganya Sockalingam, Executive Director, TeamWorks

Cathy Carothers, BLA, IBCLC, RLC, Director of Marketing, International 

Lactation Consultants Association

Linda Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC, RLC, Director, Bright Future Lactation 

Centre, Ltd.

Amy Spangler, MN, RN, IBCLC, RLC, President, Amy’s Baby Company

Gina Ciagne, CLC (Certified Lactation Counselor), Director, Breastfeeding and 

Consumer Relations, Lansinoh Laboratories, Inc.

Cheryl Scacheri, MS, CGC, Director, Genetic Counseling Program, Genomic 

Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute