Ten key women's health facts and ten key men's health facts, each anchored to a specific statistic from the literature.

Women's health

1. Average age of menopause is ~51–52 years in the US (mean 51.4; pooled global mean age at natural menopause 50.5 years), with ~90% occurring between 45 and 56.

2. [1-3]

3. Average age of menarche is ~12.9 years and has trended earlier over generations (13.5 years for women born before 1930 vs 12.6 years for those born 1970–1984).

4. [2]

5. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, not breast cancer; >62 million US women have some form of CVD or hypertension (~45% prevalence), and risk rises sharply after menopause.

6. [3-4]

7. Heart disease (21%) and cancer (20%) are the top two causes of death, followed by stroke (6%) and Alzheimer disease (5%) — stroke and Alzheimer disease rank higher in women than in men.

8. [5]

9. Female life expectancy is 81.8 years (2023), about 6 years longer than males (75.8 years).

10. [5]

11. Breast cancer screening: mammography is recommended every 1–2 years starting at age 40 (USPSTF/AAFP biennial; ACS annual from 45).

12. [6-7]

13. Osteoporosis screening with DXA is recommended for all women ≥65; diagnosis is a T-score ≤ −2.5.

14. [6]

15. Cervical cancer screening runs from age 21 to 65 — Pap every 3 years (21–29), then Pap/HPV co-testing every 5 years (30–65), stopping at 65 with adequate prior negatives.

16. [6][8]

17. Mean age at first birth has risen from 24.8 years (born 1940–49) to 27.3 years (born 1970–84), with nulliparity increasing from 14% to 22%.

18. [2]

19. Reproductive lifespan (menarche to menopause) is lengthening — up to ~40 years in recent birth cohorts, driven largely by later menopause.

20. [2][9]

Men's health

1. Median age at prostate cancer diagnosis is 67 years; >85% of new cases occur after age 60.

2. [10-11]

3. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and the second leading cause of male cancer death (~35,000 US deaths/year).

4. [10][12]

5. Autopsy prevalence is high and age-dependent: 59% of men older than 79 have histologic evidence of prostate cancer, underscoring that many cancers are indolent.

6. [10]

7. Racial disparity is marked: prostate cancer incidence is 1.7× and mortality ~2.1× higher in Black men than White men.

8. [10][12]

9. Male life expectancy is 75.8 years (2023), ~6 years shorter than women, and the gender gap has widened (from 4.8 to ~5.8 years, 2010–2021).

10. [5][13]

11. Heart disease (23%) and cancer (20%) are the leading causes of male death, followed by unintentional injuries (9%).

12. [5]

13. Unintentional injuries disproportionately drive the male mortality gap — mostly drug overdoses and transport injuries — accounting for a large share of the widening life-expectancy difference.

14. [13]

15. PSA screening is a shared-decision discussion for ages 55–69, not routine, with screening generally stopped after age 75 (AUA suggests 2–4 year intervals).

16. [12][14]

17. More than 50% of prostate cancer risk is heritable, per Northern European twin studies.

18. [10]

19. Colorectal cancer screening begins at 45 for both sexes (men and women, ages 45–75), via stool-based or structural tests.

20. [8]

American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Physical Status Classification (Expanded):

• ASA I: Normal healthy patient with no systemic disease.
  Examples: Non-smoker, no alcohol or minimal use, BMI <25, normal blood pressure (<120/80), no medications, excellent functional capacity.

• ASA II: Patient with mild systemic disease without significant functional limitation.
  Examples: Controlled hypertension (e.g., BP <140/90 on medication), well-controlled type 2 diabetes (HbA1c ~6–7%), mild obesity (BMI 30–34.9), pregnancy, social alcohol use, current smoker without COPD, mild asthma, or mild OSA not requiring CPAP.

• ASA III: Patient with severe systemic disease with substantive functional limitations.
  Examples: Poorly controlled hypertension (BP ≥160/100), diabetes with HbA1c >8% or with complications (neuropathy), morbid obesity (BMI ≥40), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), obstructive sleep apnea requiring CPAP/NIV, chronic kidney disease stage 3+, history of MI >3 months ago, chronic anticoagulation (e.g., atrial fibrillation on warfarin/DOAC), significant anemia, or active tobacco use with end-organ impact.

• ASA IV: Patient with severe systemic disease that is a constant threat to life.
  Examples: Recent MI (<3 months), unstable angina, decompensated heart failure (EF <30%), severe COPD with frequent exacerbations or oxygen dependence, advanced renal failure requiring dialysis, uncontrolled diabetes with end-organ damage, sepsis, or severe valvular disease.  

• ASA V: Moribund patient not expected to survive without the operation.
  Examples: Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, massive trauma, intracranial hemorrhage with mass effect, ischemic bowel with hemodynamic instability.

• ASA VI: Brain-dead patient whose organs are being removed for donor purposes.

Modifier:

• “E” (Emergency): Added to any classification when immediate intervention is required (e.g., ASA III-E, ASA IV-E), indicating increased perioperative risk due to urgency and limited optimization time.