SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 55

47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2006

INTRODUCED BY

Mary Kay Papen

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR TO PROCLAIM THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2006 AS MENOPAUSE AWARENESS MONTH IN THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, menopause, in the year 2005, affected fifty million American women and has already affected millions more, and, according to the American college of obstetricians and gynecologists, "the result will be a national health concern of dramatic proportions, unless women are better educated about the changes of menopause and the measures that can prolong and enhance their lives"; and

     WHEREAS, if not properly treated by a trained physician or nurse practitioner, the health risks of pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women can result in an increased number afflicted by osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease; and

     WHEREAS, estrogen depletion, which occurs in menopause, results in an increase in cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, resulting in over five hundred thirty thousand deaths of women per year, and these numbers could reach staggering proportions with the aging of the baby boom generation;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the governor be requested to proclaim the month of September 2006 as Menopause Awareness Month in New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the governor.

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