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Myths and misinformation about menopause abound, and many women lack vital information about menopause-related health concerns. One of the most crucial is the fact that your risk of osteoporosis significantly increases after menopause.
October is Menopause Awareness Month, a time to dispel myths, fill gaps in menopause information, and learn more about staying healthy after menopause.
One of the most crucial concerns is the increased risk of osteoporosis after menopause. Osteoporosis is such a risk that over half of postmenopausal women will suffer an osteoporotic fracture.
Our Centers for Pain Control & Vein Care team in Hobart, LaPorte, Munster, Valparaiso, and Merrillville, Indiana, offers an advanced minimally invasive procedure, kyphoplasty, to treat one of the most common osteoporotic fractures, a spinal compression fracture.
Here’s what you need to know about osteoporosis and why your risk of developing the condition accelerates after menopause.
Why osteoporosis develops
Osteoporosis develops when your bones lose mass and density, resulting in brittle, fragile bones that can easily break.
How does this happen? Your bones stop growing, reaching their maximum size and strength by the age of 30. During your adult life, they stay strong through remodeling.
Remodeling is a slow, constant process in which your body removes old, damaged bone and replaces it with new bone. But as you age, this process slows and you lose bone faster than it’s replaced, leading to osteoporosis.
Menopause and osteoporosis
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that 18% of women aged 50 have osteoporosis. That means that nearly two out of 10 women already have osteoporosis before they reach menopause, when their bones dramatically weaken.
Estrogen is essential for maintaining strong, healthy bones because it helps prevent bone loss. As a result, the loss of estrogen at menopause has a dramatic impact on bone health. It’s possible to lose up to 20% of bone density in the five to seven years after menopause.
This significant loss of bone mass and strength increases the risk of osteoporotic fractures.
Osteoporotic fractures
It takes a significant force or trauma to break healthy bones. By comparison, osteoporosis causes bones that are so weak and brittle that they can fracture with little pressure.
Osteoporotic fractures are generally known as fragility fractures. These fractures occur following a low-energy trauma that wouldn’t typically cause a fracture, such as falling from a standing height or less or even a vigorous cough.
After menopause, women are especially vulnerable to a type of fragility fracture called a spinal compression fracture.
These fractures occur when one or more vertebrae collapse because they’re too weak. The affected vertebrae collapse on the front side while the back side stays at its usual height, creating a wedge-like shape.
Compression fractures cause symptoms such as:
- Back pain (often in the middle back)
- Pain when walking or standing
- Limited spine movement
- Round-back deformity
A round-back deformity develops if several adjacent vertebrae collapse. Their wedge shapes combine to create a rounded shape.
How to protect yourself
Ideally, protection begins before menopause. The following lifestyle steps help maintain strong bones throughout adulthood:
- Consuming enough calcium, vitamin D, and protein
- Engaging in weight-bearing exercises
- Stopping smoking
- Limiting alcohol
Once you reach menopause, there are five steps you can take to support your bone health:
1. Get screened for osteoporosis
Osteoporosis screening uses dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), a type of low-dose X-ray that reveals bone density.
Schedule a DXA screening if you:
- Are a woman aged 65 or older
- Are a post-menopausal woman
- Have been taking corticosteroid or other medications that cause bone loss
In addition to diagnosing osteoporosis and revealing the extent of the bone weakness, DXA can help predict your risk of a future osteoporotic fracture.
2. Follow your treatment plan
After a DXA scan, your provider will develop a care plan to treat existing osteoporosis or to prevent future bone loss. Whether your plan includes medication or lifestyle changes, sticking with their recommendations will help you avoid future fractures.
3. Consider hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Restoring your body’s natural estrogen levels protects you from the rapid bone loss in early menopause.
4. Don’t wait for symptoms
Osteoporosis doesn’t cause symptoms warning you of a problem. If you don’t get screened, you won’t know you have the disease until you break a bone.
5. Seek immediate treatment for signs of a spinal compression fracture
We can use a minimally invasive procedure, kyphoplasty, to restore a collapsed vertebra back to its normal height, shape, and strength. This also restores optimal spinal function.
However, we can only perform kyphoplasty before the bone heals in its collapsed state. It typically takes 8-10 weeks to heal, so you can’t wait long.
Need help with osteoporosis?
Our Centers for Pain Control & Vein Care team offers exceptional treatment for osteoporotic fractures. To get help for osteoporosis, call the nearest office or book online today.