Women's life conditions have greatly improved since 1991, when the average life span of a woman was 78 years. By 1997 it had reached 84 years. The menopause usually starts at age 45 to 50. The onset of the menopause is often earlier in women who smoke, due to the bad effects of smoking on the ovarian blood vessels. Oestrogen deprivation may even affect the brain.
Bones lose one fifth of their density in the first five years of the menopause.
Some women should be very careful because they are genetically liable to osteoporosis, which is a silent and progressive disease. The least trauma may then damage their bones. Smoking, lack of exercise and lack of calcium in the diet aggravate the condition. The conference was also attended by a prominent figure from the world of chest surgery, Dr Kamal G Khalil, of the Plaza Medical Centre, Houston, Texas. Khalil did his early training 35 years ago at Qasr Al-Aini.