This book contains a consensus on menopause research, a consensus reached during the First International Congress on the Menopause in June, 1976. The Congress brought together about 165 people, most of whom are engaged in research in this field, in the resort town of La Grande Motte, near Montpellier, France. It was planned so that the main emphasis would be on the exchange of information in small Workshop sessions. Workshop Chairmen were asked to present summaries of their deliberations at the closing session. It is these summaries that form the essence of this text. The Congress also included six Free Communications sessions. They are represented in this book by a small number of papers printed in full (selected from some 40 contributions in all) that in the opinion of the editors, contain data that particularly complement the Workshop summaries. All other papers are mentioned in these Pro- ceedings by titles and by the name, affiliation and address of the first author. Organizing this Congress was a stimulating and heart-warming experience. It was done by the staff of the International Health Foundation in Brussels and Geneva, under the considerate auspices of the American Geriatric Society and the Medical Faculty of the University of Montpellier. We are deeply grateful to these two bodies.