Osteoporosis And How It Relates To Menopause

Health & Medical Blog

Osteoporosis is a common condition that is more prevalent with age. The disease causes the bones to become brittle and weak. As a result, people with osteoporosis are more likely to unexpectedly break a bone. Although the condition usually develops painlessly, its first diagnosis may be due to a break in a bone, a reduction in a person's height, spinal issues or chronic back discomfort.

In women, osteoporosis often occurs around or after menopause. Here is a bit of information about osteoporosis and how it relates to menopause:

The Link Between Osteoporosis and Menopause

As a woman ages, her hormone levels change. Eventually, when a woman enters menopause, which normally occurs as a woman reaches her mid-forties or fifties, the woman's menstrual cycle stops.

Female hormones, such as estrogen, drive the menstrual cycle. After menopause, the amount of estrogen in a woman's system declines. With the decline in this hormone, osteoporosis often develops. The amount of new bone cells being produced becomes less than the amount of bone being broken down or resorbed.

Are women more likely to be diagnosed with osteoporosis than men?

Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis than their male counterparts. Changes in female hormones coupled with a woman's tendency to have thinner bones may help explain why they are more apt to develop the condition.

Are there additional risk factors for women when it comes to developing osteoporosis?

In addition to age, there are additional factors that can place a woman at greater risk of developing osteoporosis. Here are a few of them:

• A woman's body structure. Women who are especially thin and petite may be more likely to develop osteoporosis. This may be due to the reduced amount of overall bone that a thin, petite woman has. Women with larger body frames and a greater amount of weight tend to have thicker bones and are thus able to better maintain their bone mass. Greater amounts of body weight place pressure on the bones to help them maintain their density and mass.
• Family members with osteoporosis. Women who have other family members who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis may be at greater risk of developing the condition themselves. This could be due to the association between body structure and heredity.
• Race. Women who are of Asian or Caucasian descent are more prone to developing the condition.

For more information about postmenopausal osteoporosis, visit our website, Radius.

27 July 2017