It occurs to me today that I could be taking prescription drugs for the rest of my life to ward off diseases, conditions and syndromes I may never get. With the drugs, or without the drugs.

Conversely, I could be taking prescription drugs for the rest of my life to ward off one disease - breast cancer - only to give me another - endometrial cancer, say. Or, even better, a stroke.

This cradle-to-grave drug-a-thon is clearly the trend for women's health in the new millennium, when tens of millions of healthy women may be taking prescription drugs, too, to ward off diseases, conditions and syndromes they may never get either - whether they're healthy and 20, or healthy and 60.