For decades, medicine saw men and women as essentially the same physically except in the area of reproduction. However, a new and groundbreaking science of gender-specific medicine has discovered astonishing distinctions between male and female bodies. From the thickness of our skin to the signs of a heart attack to ways we metabolize drugs, the sexes have significant physiological differences. But, what do these differences mean to you and your doctor?

In this groundbreaking book, internationally respected academic physician and lecturer, Dr. Marianne Legato pulls together more than a decade of research into sex-specific health. The result is a powerful tool for anyone interested in the critical nuances in the ways men and women might present symptoms or be treated for disease. It's a book that will not only change the way you think about women's health, it just might save your life.

"Legato takes a fresh and much broader look at what she calls 'the science of gender-specific medicine,' a melding of clinical practice and cutting edge research she did much to pioneer." -San Francisco Chronicle

Marianne J. Legato, M.D. is one of the foremost experts in the field of gender-specific medicine. A classically trained medical investigator, Dr. Legato has been supported by the American Heart Association and the National Institutes of Health throughout her career. In 1997, she founded the Partnership for Gender-Specific Medicine at Columbia University. She was named Outstanding Woman of the Year in Science in 2002 by the American Medical Women's Association. In 2008, she went on to establish the non-profit Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine. She lectures widely and lives in New York City.