Menopause, Osteoporosis and You

It is a known fact that postmenopausal women are more likely to have osteoporosis and therefore are at higher risk of breaking their wrists, hips and backbones. This is because at menopause, a woman's estrogen level falls dramatically, and she usually loses bone more quickly. During the first five years after menopause, a woman loses 3 percent to 5 percent of her bone mass a year. After five years, she loses between 1 percent and 2 percent of bone mass yearly.

To date, no single cause for osteoporosis has been identified. However, certain risk factors do seem to play a role in the development of this potentially debilitating disease, and some of these include:

• Age -- the risk of fracture increases with age
• Family history of osteoporotic fracture (especially if your mother had a hip fracture)
• Fracture with minimal trauma after age 40
• Early menopause (before the age of 45)
• Low calcium intake
• Excessive intake of caffeine (consistently more than four cups a day of coffee, tea, cola)
• Excessive intake of alcohol (consistently more than two drinks per day)
• Smoking
• Body weight less than 125 pounds

Tips to prevent bone loss >