Our entire generation of baby boomers the approximately 39 million women born between 1946 and 1964 have a radically different idea of what old is, and we ain't it. just as we once redefined this country's social and political landscape, were now redefining youthfulness as positive aging,' meaning extended physical health and vitality combined with a fresh and lively mental attitude. But it isn't just our idea of aging that's changed. We're actually living longer ... and better.



"This generation of women is living much longer past menopause than those of previous generations," says Vivian Pinn, M.D., associate director for research on women's health and director of the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. "Over the past 10 plus years, we have made tremendous strides. Women now enjoy un precedented opportunities for preserving and improving their health."



Why We Can Live Longer and Better

From the civil rights movement to the Vietnam War, our generation experienced a unique time in American history. We were also fortunate enough to be born in an era of constant medical discoveries and advances.



In this century alone, a woman's life expectancy has increased by 31 years (a man's, by 26 years). The average woman now fives to be 79, the average man, 72. Moreover, the rate of disabilities among older people has dropped dramatically, most likely because of medical breakthroughs, better nutrition, and a decline in cigarette smoking.



We also stand to benefit from the recent explosion of research into women's health, particularly the health of women at midlife and beyond.



The Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a long term national health study of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and osteoporosis in some 160,000 women ages 50 and over, is one of the largest prevention studies of its kind. It is examining the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on the prevention of heart disease, osteoporosis, and breast and endometrial cancers; the effect of a healthy diet on the prevention of heart disease and breast and col orectal cancers; and the effect of calcium and vitamin D supplementation on the prevention of osteoporosis and colorectal cancer.



The emerging field of gender based biology, which examines the biological and physiological differences between women and men, has already made discoveries with potential long term health implications. According to the Society for Women's Health Research, it is now known that women who smoke are 20 to 70 percent more likely to develop lung cancer than men who smoke the same number of cigarettes. They are more likely than men to suffer a second heart attack within a year of their first. And they can metabolize medications differently from the way men do.



We have access to a mind boggling amount of health information, says Florence Haseltine, M.D., founder of the Society for Women's Health Research, now director of the Center for Population Research at the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C. From morning news shows to the Internet, never has there been so much coverage of women's health. With more information, we're in a better position to make informed health related decisions that can affect the length and quality of our lives.



Finally, we boomer women are discriminating and vocal healthcare consumers. In the 1970s, we took on the medical establishment over reproductive health issues such as access to birth control and abortion. As we enter menopause, we're still challenging conventional medical wisdom. In fact, our generation of women has been credited for fueling interest in alternative medicine in this country.