May is Osteoporosis Month

During May, which is National
Osteoporosis Month, you’ll probably see lots of news and information about
this, and some of it may make you feel even more concerned. The Network would
like to assure you that there are steps you can take to reduce your chance of
breaking a bone so that you’ll be able to avoid the pain and limits on mobility
that can come with those injuries, allowing you to continue an active life
through menopause and beyond.

• Make
  sure you get enough calcium and Vitamin D
• Engage
  in regular physical activity and weight bearing exercise
• Avoid
  smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
• Take
  precautions to avoid slipping or falling
• Discuss
  your own medical history and the risks and benefits of medical treatment
  with your physician

Understanding the risks
and benefits of medical treatment for osteoporosis is also important as there
are myths about this condition that can be confusing, leading to excessive
testing and unnecessary exposure to drug risks and side effects. We’d like to help
counter those myths and provide some guidance.


Are you at risk for osteoporosis and should you get a DEXA scan?

DEXA scans, which measure the density of your bones, are the most common method
of diagnosing osteoporosis. At the urging of scan manufacturers and drug
makers, many doctors recommend that patients start getting tested for
osteoporosis as young as 45 or 50. But the best evidence shows that for
most women these tests are not helpful until they reach age 65. Now some
doctors are pushing back with the Choosing
Wisely campaign which has identified DEXA scans as one of several commonly
overused tests whose use needs to be reevaluated.


Do you really have Osteoporosis? Knowing your bones – DEXA scans can be
misleading. On receiving a low DEXA scan score, women often fear that
they have very fragile bones that are likely to break. But this is not always
true. The majority of women with low bone density never experience a
serious fracture. The healthy living tips above can help individuals with
low bone density reduce their risk of breaking a bone.

If you need treatment

If you do have osteoporosis, the next question to consider is what to do about
it? Several types of drugs have been approved to treat osteoporosis. NWHN
encourages women to take time to make an informed decision, not just about
which drugs to use, but how soon to start treatment. Serious fractures
are most likely to happen to women in their 80s. Rushing to start
treatment after a bone density test in your late 50s might not be a good idea,
as drug side effects and complications become more frequent after the first 3-4
years.

We want women to make informed decisions about how to avoid broken bones, when
and how to take stock of their own risk factors, and what kind of treatment
options are available. There’s lots of good information available on our
website, including this factsheet and this
recent newsletter article. But don’t spend all your time
reading! Natural sunlight helps the body make its own Vitamin D so go
outside and enjoy what we hope will be a sunny month of May.

Thank you,

Cindy Pearson

Executive Director