At one time osteoporosis was considered a disease of women. This is no longer the case; the disease is very prominent in men as well. However, there are some physical differences between males and females that can influence a man’s risk of fracture, compared to that of women.
Since men have larger bones, this may influence may affect the risk of bone fracture in men. The relationship between bone mineral density and fracture risk also differs in men because of the greater bone size. But just as in women, low bone mineral density is considered a predictor of osteoporosis in men.
Age-related bone loss also differs in males. Men achieve their peak bone mass density later than females because male puberty is later. After reaching their peak bone mass, men maintain stable bone density during middle age, but as they enter old age, their bone mass density declines rapidly. As with women, age-related loss of bone mass is considered to be normal as they age. Several factors contribute to this: Vitamin D deficiency, declining kidney function and changes in hormone levels all play a part in the loss of bone mass density. In men, testosterone decline also plays a part in loss of bone density.
Advancing age increases the risk of osteoporosis 13% in men and 40% in women, which makes it important for both males and females over the age of 50 to have bone density tests.
Women, Menopause and Loss of Bone Density
When women reach the age of menopause, loss of bone density increases due to a decrease in estrogen. Since a woman doesn’t produce as much estrogen during menopause, bone loss can accelerate as much as 3% to 5% yearly. This loss of bone density continues for up to a decade, though bone loss is more accelerated in the early years of menopause. During the years of menopause, women can lose as much as a half of the total bone loss that they experience in their entire life.
Women who are going through menopause need daily supplements of calcium and Vitamin D, as well as daily exercise. Even then, loss of bone density can be extreme. Women should ask their doctors to give them a bone density test in order to monitor the maximum bone loss.
When menopause ceases, the rate of bone density loss decreases, though the body is still producing new bone. However, bone loss is often more than the rate of new bone growth. During this time in a woman’s life, osteoporosis and the risk of bone fracture becomes greater.