Discover Why You May Be At Risk For Osteoporosis Without Even Knowing It ! 

Osteoporosis is without doubt one of the most serious complications of Menopause and Perimenopause. Unfortunately it does not get the coverage necessary to make women really aware of the dire outcome osteoporosis may hold in for women. 

Just picture yourself in the following scenario:   You get up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee and if you have the time you may have a quick breakfast. Some days you just have time for coffee and grab something to have breakfast on the go! By the time you get to work you grab another coffee, and rush through the day. By the time you get home you are dead tired and just happy to put your feet up and relax! What is wrong with this picture? You may be at serious risk for osteoporosis! 

 Osteoporosis is the condition where bone loses its density to become brittle, porous and very fragile. That may lead to fractures, dental problems and permanent disfigurement Bone consists of living tissue, and therefore there is an ongoing process of forming new bone cells and replacing old, dead bone tissue. However, what women don't always know is that this active process of forming new bone tissue has a time limit. The prime time to build bone is between childhood and early adulthood. Not a very long time in a women's life! If strong bones were not built during these crucial years, the bone loss will be more rapid when you grow older, especially during the Menopausal years. 

Once Menopause and Perimenopause symptoms start, the decreasing levels of the female hormone estrogen causes loss of the bone mass, causing the bones to become brittle and fragile. Osteoporosis is also called "the silent killer", and with good reason! The disease may already be present in your body without you even knowing it. There are no warning signs until you actually experience a spontaneous fracture, or maybe realize that you are getting shorter.

The collapsing of the spinal column as a result of Osteoporosis may cause curving and deformities as well as stress or compression fractures of the spinal column. Very scary!  By the time you start to see the effects of osteoporosis on your body it is too late! Those are signs that you already have lost precious bone. 

Some contributing factors to Osteoporosis are:

 §         Early Menopause – the earlier your levels of estrogen decreases, the greater your risk will be to suffer from Osteoporosis. 

§         Low body weight – less than 125 pounds or 57 Kg 

§         Diet low in calcium, vitamin D and magnesium. 

§         Smoking 

§         Immobility because of a disability, disease or a lifestyle lacking exercise. 

§         Excess intake of coffee, alcohol or cola drinks 

§         Certain medications 

§         Genetics 

§         Eating disorders 

§         Hormonal diseases

 §         Being a White or Asian female 

People tend to think that Osteoporosis is a condition related to age, but the most important fact they don’t know is that it may be prevented as young as being a child or adolescent. 

Prevention of Osteoporosis is by far the best strategy. It is very important to know exactly how much you are at risk. Once you know your risk factors you can start with early prevention strategies.

 Some excellent strategies include: 

§         Good nutrition – a diet rich in calcium, magnesium and vitamin D. There are very good supplements available which have been formulated especially for Menopausal women

.§         Weight bearing exercises – low impact aerobics, weightlifting, pushups, squatting or any other exercise where gravity is involved. Walking and swimming are not very effective for bone building, but may be good for cardiovascular exercises.

§         Resistance exercises

§         Cut down on caffeine, alcohol and cola drinks.

§         Stop smoking!

§         Medications – your doctor will decide on a drug suitable for your unique conditions. However, the drugs to treat Osteoporosis are expensive and not without side effects. Another reason why prevention of Osteoporosis is better than treating it (remember, there is no cure!) 

Just a word about Hormone Replacement Therapy for Osteoporosis: Although estrogen is very valuable if used in the early onset of Menopause to treat some Perimenopause symptoms, systemic estrogen does come with some risks! It is also important to know that estrogen can not build new bone, but is only able to preserve the density of the bone for a limited time. Another important factor is that systemic estrogen is not recommended as replacement therapy in women over 60. After the age of 60 the risk of getting heart and Alzheimer’s disease increases. Fortunately there are other medications available today to treat osteoporosis in order to preserve some bone density in older women. However, up till now the bone can not be rebuild.  

This is just the tip of the iceberg! You owe it to yourself to become more informed about Osteoporosis. It will safe you a lot of grief later on in your life.

 I wish you good luck ….and a happy Menopause!