The Swiss Association against Osteoporosis (Association Suisse contre l'Ostéoporose [ASCO], Schweizerische Vereinigung gegen die Osteoprorose [SVGO]) was founded in 1989 with the primary aim to bring together the specialists of various fields, i.e. internal medicine, endocrinology, rheumatology, gynecology, orthopedic surgery, social- and preventive medicine, dealing with the problems of osteoporosis and to integrate the rapidly growing knowledge and progress on osteoporosis in a national consensus.