Bones

What happens

A small amount of bone loss after 35 is normal for everyone. But in the first 4 to 8 years after menopause, women lose bone much faster, because estrogen falls. Losing too much bone leads to osteoporosis, which makes fractures more likely, most often in the hip, wrist and spine.¹

In the US, about 1 in 5 women over 50 have osteoporosis (19.6%), compared with about 1 in 23 men (4.4%). After 65, it's 27.1% of women.² Being female, older, small or thin, having a family history, low calcium or vitamin D, inactivity, smoking, heavy drinking and some medicines all raise the risk.³

Screening

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends osteoporosis screening for:²

• all women 65 and older
• postmenopausal women younger than 65 who are at higher risk of fracture

Screening is usually a bone density scan (DEXA).

What helps

• Weight-bearing exercise like walking slows bone loss.¹
• Strength training, with your body weight, bands or weights, strengthens muscles and bones.¹
• Balance training like yoga or tai chi may help prevent falls, and so fractures.¹
• Calcium and vitamin D in your diet help keep bones strong.¹
• Hormone therapy prevents bone loss and fractures, and for people under 60 or within 10 years of menopause its benefits usually outweigh its risks.^1,4

Myth: Osteoporosis is just a normal part of getting old.

Many of us watched grandmothers get shorter or break a hip and took it as an inevitable part of aging. Some bone loss is normal, but osteoporosis can be found early with a scan, and exercise, nutrition and medicine can slow it and prevent fractures.^1,2

How it compares in men

Men lose bone too, but more slowly, and fewer get osteoporosis. Many men assume they aren't at risk, but they remain at risk, especially after 70.³