Osteoporosis
Act Now to Protect Your Bones
The Facts
Some Risk Factors
How to Prevent Osteoporosis
Imagine a woman in a nursing home, hunched back and stooped over. She’s become shorter over the years. Hip fractures have left her using a walker and depending on the care of others in her everyday living. This is an image of the potential impact of osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis can deform, debilitate and cause pain for otherwise healthy older adults, mainly women. It is a condition in which the structure of bone becomes thinner and more fragile, with increased risk of fractures. More than 28 million Americans have low bone mass or osteoporosis. The disease is responsible for 1.5 million fractures a year, and nearly 40 percent of women over the age of 50 will suffer at least one osteoporotic fracture in their lifetime.
After menopause, a woman’s ovaries produce much less of the hormone estrogen, which increases the rate of bone loss in most women. This lack of estrogen not only puts a woman at risk for osteoporosis but also may increase the risk for other serious illnesses such as coronary heart disease.
Because osteoporosis has no symptoms while it’s developing, a woman may not know she has it until a fracture occurs — until the damage has been done.
The Facts
Taking steps now to prevent osteoporosis will minimize your risk for the disease. Annual bone loss averages 1 percent annually after menopause, but can be as much as 5 percent during the early postmenopausal years. This is one reason to take action early.
It is critical to work closely with your doctor as you plan your personal prevention program. You and your physician should discuss your individual risks for osteoporosis, because some women have much higher risk than others. Also discuss lifestyle changes and medications that might help prevent the disease.
Ways to lower your risk of osteoporosis include:
- Bone-protecting prescription medications
- A diet high in calcium and vitamin D
- Regular weight-bearing exercise
- No smoking
- Limited alcohol intake
Estrogen therapy is the most common treatment for the symptoms of menopause and is used to prevent osteoporosis. However, some women have serious concerns about a possible link between estrogen replacements and cancer of the breast and uterus. Also, hormone side effects may keep women from continuing therapy.
There are a variety of new treatment options that address many issues in osteoporosis prevention, such as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) and bisphosphonates.
Don’t wait to protect your bones. Take action now to help ensure a long, healthy life free from osteoporosis.
If you are interested in more information, The Lilly Center for Women’s Health of Eli Lilly and Company has developed a new brochure, Beyond Menopause: Taking Charge of Your Health, to help women take charge of lifestyle and healthcare decisions. This free, easy-to-read brochure includes a worksheet designed to help women identify their personal health risks and discuss them with their doctor. For a free copy of this brochure, please call 1-888-WMN-HLTH.
