If you are approaching menopause or already there, you have probably heard about osteoporosis and you might have discussed it with your health care providers.
|
|
| Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and likely to break (even without a serious fall). Throughout your life, your bones are constantly building up and breaking down. During childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, more bone is built up than is broken down. At about age 30, your bones are the strongest they will ever be! After that, more bone is broken down than built up. The breakdown process becomes faster after menopause, when levels of the female hormone estrogen decline. The older you get, the more fragile your bones become.
|
Why is osteoporosis debilitating?
|
Fractures resulting from osteoporosis can cause serious life-changing difficulties. Hip fractures almost always require a hospital stay that often involves surgery and can result in permanent problems walking. Fractures of the vertebrae (bones in the spine) can cause pain and stooped posture. Older women with hip or vertebral fractures might lose the ability to live independently.
|
|
| How can you prevent osteoporosis?
The National Osteoporosis Foundation lists 5 measures that you can take for prevention of osteoporosis:
1. Take in your Recommended Daily Allowance of calcium and vitamin D
2. Engage in regular, weight-bearing exercise
3. Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol intake
4. Talk with your clinician about osteoporosis
5. Get a bone-density test when appropriate
|
Although the first three measures are important after menopause, they work the best when they are started early in life. So if you have daughters and granddaughters, encourage them to practice prevention NOW.
|
|
