How does menopause increase the risk of osteoporosis?
Why does menopause make it more likely for someone to have osteoporosis? Have you ever thought about how menopause can lead to weaker bones, especially in women after menopause? This article aims to explain this connection and gives tips on how women can look after themselves to decrease the risk during this stage.
What happens in a woman's body during menopause?
In women, the ovaries make hormones like estrogen and progesterone that help control periods and reproduction. As women get closer to their late thirties, the body starts to make less of these hormones. When they reach the age 40, their periods can become irregular – sometimes shorter, longer, heavier, or lighter because of changes in hormone levels. By age 51, the ovaries stop releasing eggs, and periods stop altogether.
These changes in hormones can lead to various symptoms and health issues, like dryness in the vagina, sudden hot sensations, chills, sweating at night, trouble sleeping, mood swings, gaining weight, hair thinning, dry skin, and even osteoporosis, which is when bones become weak and can break more easily.
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is a bone disorder resulting from a decreased formation of new bone due to less or slower repair and replacement of old or damaged bones, causing bones to become weak and brittle. While osteoporosis can affect people of all ages, it's important to know that women going through menopause are more likely to get it because of changes in their hormones. A Thai Red Cross Society report on October 21, 2022, showed that thirty percent of women going through menopause develop osteoporosis. Because of this, women who have gone through menopause should be extra careful about their bone health.
Why are women more prone to getting osteoporosis after menopause?
Normally, bone breaks down and reforms continuously. But as people get older, especially after age thirty, this process slows down, and bones don't form or fix themselves as effectively.
In women’s bodies, the estrogen hormone does important jobs like regulating periods, making bones strong, and preventing bone mass loss.
When menopause begins, estrogen production slows down, leading to a significant decrease in the blood levels of this hormone. Because of this, bones break down more quickly than bone regeneration, causing them to lose strength. The bones end up being less solid and more breakable due to this. So, during menopause, women face a higher chance of developing osteoporosis, which makes their bones brittle and more prone to breaking.
How to Prevent Osteoporosis After Menopause
When you start noticing symptoms related to menopause or are in the phase leading up to it, the first thing to do is plan for a bone density test and talk to a specialist doctor who knows about preventing osteoporosis.
Then, adopt lifestyle modification by doing the following to help keep your bones strong.
- Stay Active: If you're younger or in the phase before menopause, weight training or resistance exercise can help make your bones stronger. If you're older or have gone through menopause, activities exerting force on the joints, like walking, brisk walking, or jogging, are good for your bones and promote heart health.
- Take Calcium and Vitamin D: These are important for your bones as vitamin D helps calcium absorption and improve bone strength. Consult your doctor if you wish to take the supplements.
- Cut Back on Smoking and Alcohol: Smoking and drinking alcohol affect the levels of hormones and calcium balance in the body, contributing to weak bones.
- Be Careful with Certain Medicines: Some medications, like steroids, anticonvulsants, blood thinners, and antithyroid medications, can increase the rate of bone loss. If you must take any of these, talk to your doctor about how to take them to prevent and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. They might give you advice on what to eat or suggest other medications.
Remember, osteoporosis doesn't have clear signs until you break a bone. So, if you know you're at risk, obtaining a bone density test from a specialist doctor is advisable. Taking these steps can help lower your risk and avoid dealing with the problems that come with osteoporosis.
