Everything You Need To Know About Bone Problems In Women
Everything You Need To Know About Bone Problems In Women: Women always pay the price and it holds true for bone health. According to a study, women are at an increased risk of bone problems and it can show itself at an early age as opposed to the initial thinking that bone problems only occur during and after menopause. Bone problems can be debilitating. Prevention and timely treatment of bone problems can make life easy.
Bone Problems in Women
Bone problems originate in women as the level of female sex hormone estrogen starts declining. Estrogen directly influences bone deposition. As women age, the level of this hormone slowly and steadily declines and it has been estimated that within five years of reaching menopause, women can lose as much as 20% of their bone density.
Osteoporosis and Osteopenia
The most common bone problem seen in women is osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is characterized by a reduction in bone density. This leads to porous or spongy bones which not only lacks strength but can be easily fractured. In fact, in most of the cases, osteoporosis is actually diagnosed when the patient comes in for a fracture.
Osteopenia is a similar condition but the severity is quite less as compared to osteoporosis.
Preventing Bone Problems
Although bone problems are also age-related, there are certain factors that can prevent bone problems from occurring.
- Calcium-rich diet can prevent bone loss and increase bone strength.
- Vitamin-D should be included in the diet. Good sources of vitamin D include fortified dairy products, egg yolks and fresh-water fish. Exposure to sunlight also increases vitamin D production in the skin. Vitamin D is important as it helps in calcium absorption.
- Regular exercise, specially strength training improves bone health and density.
A Solution for Your Bone Problems
Treatment of bone problems exists and requires a combination of medication and regular exercise.
- Calcium and Vitamin D supplements are necessary for stabilizing bone loss.
- In order to stop bone loss and increase bone strength, medications such as alendronate, calcitonin and raloxifene are given.
- Teriparatide is given to increase bone formation.
- Hormone-replacement therapy, specifically estrogen replacement therapy, is also found to be effective.
- Regular exercise including strength training is also recommended to increase bone turnover.
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