May is National Osteoporosis Awareness Month

By: Red Hot Mamas

Published: May 4, 2018

May is National Osteoporosis Awareness Month!

Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens bones over time. Because of this, it puts you at risk for breaking a bone. Postmenopausal osteoporosis is the most common form of osteoporosis. It affects many women after menopause, leaving some women at high risk for fracture. There is a direct relationship between the lack of estrogen during perimenopause and menopause and the development of osteoporosis. Early menopause (before the age of 45) and any prolonged periods in which hormone levels are low and menstrual periods are absent or infrequent can cause loss of bone mass.

Here are some facts:

• Of the estimated 10 million Americans with osteoporosis, about eight million or 80% are women.
• Approximately one in two women over age 50 will break a bone because of osteoporosis.
• A woman’s risk of breaking a hip is equal to her combined risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer.

There are multiple reasons why women are more likely to get osteoporosis than men, including:

• Women tend to have smaller, thinner bones than men.
• Estrogen, a hormone in women that protects bones, decreases sharply when women reach menopaise,  which can cause bone loss. This is why the chance of developing osteoporosis increases as women reach menopause.

Source: National Osteoporosis Foundation

PDF Source: National Osteoporosis Foundation https://cdn.nof.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Osteoporosis-Fast-Facts.pdf