Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens your bones, making them less dense – and therefore more susceptible to fracture – than they would be otherwise. It tends to be more common in older women as their oestrogen levels fall during menopause and beyond, but it can also be linked to other aspects of a person’s health, including their testicular or ovarian function, parathyroids, vitamin D or magnesium levels, connective tissue, alcohol and smoking habits.
In the early part of your life, we can help you to understand if you are on track to establish peak bone mass and whether your health is good enough to maintain it, anticipating potential problems with osteoporosis or osteopenia, a condition involving low bone density which may lead to osteoporosis.
We consider whether you should increase your calcium intake, either in the diet or through supplements, or take vitamin D, when to use DXA scanning and how often, and the use of agents such as bisphosphonates and denosumab (and its newer cousins) to help strengthen the skeleton.