Osteoporosis after the menopause
As you become older, you gradually lose bone tissue. The bones become less dense and less strong. The amount of bone loss can vary. If you have a lot of bone loss, then you have osteoporosis. If you have osteoporosis you have bones that will break more easily than normal, especially if you have an injury such as a fall.
Women lose bone material more rapidly than men especially after the menopause when the level of oestrogen falls. Oestrogen helps to protect against bone loss. By the age of 70 some women have lost 30% of their bone material. In the UK, about half of women over the age of 50 will fracture a bone, many as a result of osteoporosis.
However, not all women develop osteoporosis after the menopause. Osteoporosis is more likely to develop if you have, or have had, one or more 'risk factors'. The following situations are risk factors for developing bone loss and osteoporosis. If you:
- are a woman who had your menopause before the age of 45.
- have already had a bone fracture after a minor fall or bump.
- have a strong family history of osteoporosis.
- have a body mass index (BMI) of 19 or less. (That is, you are very underweight.) For example, if you have anorexia nervosa. In this situation the level of oestrogen is often low for long periods of time and, combined with a poor diet, can affect the bones.
- are a woman and your periods stop for a year or more before the time of your menopause. This can happen for various reasons.
- have taken, or are taking, a steroid medicine (such as prednisolone) for three months or more. A side-effect of steroids is to cause bone loss.
- smoke
- lack calcium and/or vitamin D (due to a poor diet and/or little exposure to sunlight.)
- have never taken regular exercise, or have led a sedentary lifestyle (particularly during your teenage years).
- have, or had, certain medical conditions that can affect the bones. For example, an overactive thyroid, Cushing's disease, and any condition that causes poor mobility.
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vanessa, about 1 year
i am on a low dose of hrt i had a full hysterectomy two years ago but iam getting more aches and pains by the day severe back ache knee joints ache badly do you think iam on the right dose and can you recommend anything iam 42
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