"For the first time, we're giving people a single place to go to get a comprehensive look at the health status of women across the nation," says Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson in a news release. "It reflects our ongoing commitment not only to identifying trends in women's health but also to taking the right steps to improve their health in the future."

The report shows that the top three causes of death in 1999 -- heart disease, cancer, and stroke -- were the same for women as men. But a larger proportion of women than men died of stroke, diabetes, and influenza.

Women also have a higher rate of disability than men, and nearly twice as many women were disabled by arthritis, making it the second leading cause of disability among women after back pain.

Other conditions, such as osteoporosis and lupus, seem to overwhelmingly affect women. The report shows that 90% of the people with osteoporosis (a condition in which the bones become weaker) in 1999 were women, and women represent 85% of lupus patients. Lupus is a disease in which the body attacks its own healthy cells and tissues; symptoms include extreme fatigue and joint swelling.

Other highlights of the report include:

• More U.S. women are getting prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy. In 2000, 83% received this early prenatal care, compared with 75% in 1989.
• Nearly 87% of women had health insurance coverage in 2000. But a quarter of young women between ages 18 and 24 were without insurance in 2000.
• Black females had the greatest gain (12.3 years) in life-expectancy between 1950 and 2000, but there is still a five-year gap between black and white female life expectancy (75 years vs. 80 years).

Women's enrollment in the medical professions is also on the rise. Female enrollment in medical school increased by 66% from 1980-81 to 1999-2000, and dental school enrollment jumped 122% during the same period. Women also accounted for 67% of public health students and 65% of pharmacy students in 1999-2000.