The Osteoporosis Threat During Menopause

When women reach menopause, they have to deal with a host of new physical challenges. One of the most important menopause related issues that woman should recognize is the threat of osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease causes bones to degenerate and decrease in mass. Over ten million people in the United States alone grapple with osteoporosis. Nearly 50% of women and 12% of men will be afflicted by osteoporosis at some point in their life. The bad news is that, as of now, there is no cure for osteoporosis. But several treatment options are available that can aid in increasing bone density and prevent potentially debilitating hip and spinal fractures. It is extremely important for older woman going through menopause to be aware of the potential treatments available for osteoporosis, as women during this part of their life find themselves at a much higher risk.

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes your bones to lose a percentage of their mineral density, thus weakening them. This puts you at risk of severe fractures, mostly in the hip and spine area. These fractures are extremely painful and will most likely inhibit your ability to move around unassisted. Osteoporosis is an incurable disease that lasts a lifetime, but its devastating effects can be reversed and even prevented if proper treatment is sought.

The bones are made of healthy, living tissue, and this tissue has two functions: first, the breakdown of bone tissue, and then the concurrent formation of new bone tissue. These two processes are obviously very closely linked. If the breakdown of tissue surpasses the growth of new tissue, then the bone tissue that is lost is never regained, causing our bones to become thin and brittle. This is a gradual process that causes little or no discomfort until the bones break. Continued bone tissue loss will inevitably lead to a weak skeleton that is incapable of withstand such routine daily activities such as walking down the stairs. This year an estimated 300,000 American women will fracture a hip. Another 500,000 will fracture vertebrae.

Vertebral fractures should not be taken lightly. They may lead to a decrease in height, deforming curvature of the spine and constant, severe pain. Hip fractures are no better. They are extremely painful and if and when they occur, you will find yourself confined to your bed for longer than you care to imagine. Even more frightening is that between 12 and 20 percent of women who suffer a hip fracture will not survive longer than 6 months after the injury. Half of those who do survive require a nurse or family member to help them complete daily activities. Some women may even need to enter a long-term care facility. Unfortunately, elderly patients are given less of a chance to rehabilitate due to the sheer pain simple movement causes.

A common term osteoporosis researchers use is that 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.'� The condition of a woman's skeleton depends on two factors: the peak quantity of bone produced before menopause and the rate of the bone loss after menopause. In determining peak bone mass, heredity factors become quite important.

Other factors that will increase bone mass include sufficient intake of vitamin D and dietary calcium, particularly in younger woman prior to puberty; exposure to sunlight; and routine physical exercise. These elements also will help slow the rate of bone loss. Alternately, certain other physiological stresses can accelerate bone loss, such as pregnancy, nursing, and not having the ability to exercise; however, estrogen deficiency is the most prominent culprit in the process of bone loss.

The best strategy for osteoporosis is prevention. The currently available treatments only stop bone loss--they do not rebuild the bone. But researchers are hopeful that in the future, bone loss will be reversible. The most important thing that you can do is to build up a stockpile of bone before you enter into perimenopause. This will help you bank against future losses. Estrogen is also an effective therapy that is available for postmenopausal women. This is because estrogen saves more bone tissue than even very large daily doses of calcium. Keep in mind; the best way to fight osteoporosis is to take preemptive, preventative measures.