title: Where is the evidence for effectiveness of treatments for the menopause? Introducing the Cochrane Collaboration.
abstract: The past two decades have seen an explosion of research surrounding the menopause. This ever-increasing volume of research has made it an impossible task for health professionals involved in the management of the menopause to be able to assimilate the information easily. There is an urgent need for the findings from research to be synthesized into simple, easy-to-read reviews that are of high quality and are based on the best evidence available. The Menstrual Disorders and Subfertility Group of the Cochrane Collaboration is attempting to address these issues by collecting a register of all the randomized controlled trials in the treatments of the menopause and preparing systematic reviews on a number of topics that will be of interest to health-care workers and consumers. Readers are invited to participate in this process by identifying published and unpublished data and by helping in the process of preparing protocols and systematic reviews for inclusion in the Cochrane Library.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Auckland School of Medicine, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Farquhar
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: MacLennan
mesh_terms: D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D007993:Libraries, Medical; D008593:Menopause; D009938:Organizations; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012042:Registries; D012106:Research