The traditional obstetrics and gynaecology curriculum in many medical schools around the world has been superseded by ‘women's health’. This includes core obstetrics and gynaecology in a broader context that is more relevant for women and those who care for them. At the same time many schools are taking a problem-based learning or case-based approach to health. This text is designed to provide a resource that incorporates both of these developments.

Asking the right questions in clinical practice

Health is more than just the absence of disease or infirmity. It also involves the context of people's lives, their well-being and their dignity. Certainly the issues for women are broader than those of reproduction alone.

This book has a biomedical focus. It is intended for students and practising clinicians caring for women in health and illness. The importance of the psychosocial- cultural aspects of women's lives is emphasised early in the book. We encourage the reader to use it to think of the whole woman and her interaction with her environment as each ‘clinical’ problem is encountered. Hopefully this approach will provide the reader with an introduction to a comprehensive picture of health and illness.

Although this text is not intended to cover every disease affecting women, it should stimulate the reader to consider the impact of health and disease on the whole person by asking such questions as:

Using this book

The structure of this book reflects the fact that a clinical problem may vary in presentation and management depending on the stage of the person's life cycle. Therefore, while the main section on a topic (such as breast disease) might be included in the reproductive years section, for example, cross-references to relevant information in other sections of the book are provided where appropriate. The index can also be used to find appropriate cross-references across the life cycle, as well as to identify specific topics.