Osteoporosis

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Osteoporosis

Bone loss is mainly a depletion of the mineral calcium. It affects more women than men because the hormone estrogen plays a crucial role in the female body’s ability to use dietary calcium to build new bone. When you approach or are in menopause, the reduction in your body’s estrogen production deprives your bones of the calcium they need. Some 20 to 30 percent of bone loss in women occurs in the first five years after menopause. Osteopenia often develops during this critical time. Without treatment, this bone-thinning condition can lead to osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis can also occur in younger women whose estrogen levels fall after hysterectomy or in athletes whose ability to produce estrogen may be hindered by low body fat.