AgePage

National Institute on Aging

2 

Osteoporosis: 

The Bone Thief

Helen grew up on a farm in the Midwest. 

She drank lots of milk as a child. She also 

walked a lot. After graduating from high 

school, she got married and found a job. 

Family and work kept her too busy to 

exercise. Helen went through menopause 

at age 47. At age 76, she was enjoying 

retirement—traveling and working in her 

garden. But then she slipped on a small 

rug in her kitchen and broke her hip. After 

Helen recovered, she needed a cane to walk, 

and gardening was a lot harder to enjoy. 

Helen has osteoporosis, but she didn’t 

know it before she fell. Osteoporosis is 

a disease that weakens 

bones to the point 

where they break 

easily—most often bones 

in the hip, backbone 

(spine), and wrist. 

Osteoporosis is 

called the “silent 

disease”—you may not 

notice any changes until a bone breaks. 

But, your bones have been losing 

strength for many years.

Bone is living tissue. To keep bones 

strong, your body is always breaking 

down old bone and replacing it with 

new bone tissue. As people enter their 

forties and fifties, more bone is broken 

down than is replaced. A close look at 

the inside of bone shows something 

like a honeycomb. When you have 

osteoporosis, the spaces in this 

honeycomb grow larger. And the 

bone that forms the honeycomb gets 

smaller. The outer shell of your bones 

also gets thinner. All of this loss makes 

your bones weaker.

Who Has Osteoporosis? 

Millions of Americans have osteoporosis. 

They are mostly women, but more than 

2 million men also have this disease. 

White and Asian women are most likely 

to have osteoporosis. Other women at 

great risk include those who:

F have a family history of broken 

bones or osteoporosis 

F have broken a bone while an adult 

F had surgery to remove their ovaries 

before their periods stopped

F had early menopause 

F have not gotten enough calcium 

throughout their lives

F had extended bed rest
AgePage

National Institute on Aging

2 

Osteoporosis: 

The Bone Thief

Helen grew up on a farm in the Midwest. 

She drank lots of milk as a child. She also 

walked a lot. After graduating from high 

school, she got married and found a job. 

Family and work kept her too busy to 

exercise. Helen went through menopause 

at age 47. At age 76, she was enjoying 

retirement—traveling and working in her 

garden. But then she slipped on a small 

rug in her kitchen and broke her hip. After 

Helen recovered, she needed a cane to walk, 

and gardening was a lot harder to enjoy. 

Helen has osteoporosis, but she didn’t 

know it before she fell. Osteoporosis is 

a disease that weakens 

bones to the point 

where they break 

easily—most often bones 

in the hip, backbone 

(spine), and wrist. 

Osteoporosis is 

called the “silent 

disease”—you may not 

notice any changes until a bone breaks. 

But, your bones have been losing 

strength for many years.

Bone is living tissue. To keep bones 

strong, your body is always breaking 

down old bone and replacing it with 

new bone tissue. As people enter their 

forties and fifties, more bone is broken 

down than is replaced. A close look at 

the inside of bone shows something 

like a honeycomb. When you have 

osteoporosis, the spaces in this 

honeycomb grow larger. And the 

bone that forms the honeycomb gets 

smaller. The outer shell of your bones 

also gets thinner. All of this loss makes 

your bones weaker.

Who Has Osteoporosis? 

Millions of Americans have osteoporosis. 

They are mostly women, but more than 

2 million men also have this disease. 

White and Asian women are most likely 

to have osteoporosis. Other women at 

great risk include those who:

F have a family history of broken 

bones or osteoporosis 

F have broken a bone while an adult 

F had surgery to remove their ovaries 

before their periods stopped

F had early menopause 

F have not gotten enough calcium 

throughout their lives

F had extended bed rest
AgePage

National Institute on Aging

2 

Osteoporosis: 

The Bone Thief

Helen grew up on a farm in the Midwest. 

She drank lots of milk as a child. She also 

walked a lot. After graduating from high 

school, she got married and found a job. 

Family and work kept her too busy to 

exercise. Helen went through menopause 

at age 47. At age 76, she was enjoying 

retirement—traveling and working in her 

garden. But then she slipped on a small 

rug in her kitchen and broke her hip. After 

Helen recovered, she needed a cane to walk, 

and gardening was a lot harder to enjoy. 

Helen has osteoporosis, but she didn’t 

know it before she fell. Osteoporosis is 

a disease that weakens 

bones to the point 

where they break 

easily—most often bones 

in the hip, backbone 

(spine), and wrist. 

Osteoporosis is 

called the “silent 

disease”—you may not 

notice any changes until a bone breaks. 

But, your bones have been losing 

strength for many years.

Bone is living tissue. To keep bones 

strong, your body is always breaking 

down old bone and replacing it with 

new bone tissue. As people enter their 

forties and fifties, more bone is broken 

down than is replaced. A close look at 

the inside of bone shows something 

like a honeycomb. When you have 

osteoporosis, the spaces in this 

honeycomb grow larger. And the 

bone that forms the honeycomb gets 

smaller. The outer shell of your bones 

also gets thinner. All of this loss makes 

your bones weaker.

Who Has Osteoporosis? 

Millions of Americans have osteoporosis. 

They are mostly women, but more than 

2 million men also have this disease. 

White and Asian women are most likely 

to have osteoporosis. Other women at 

great risk include those who:

F have a family history of broken 

bones or osteoporosis 

F have broken a bone while an adult 

F had surgery to remove their ovaries 

before their periods stopped

F had early menopause 

F have not gotten enough calcium 

throughout their lives

F had extended bed rest
7 8 

also several medicines 

to think about. Some 

will slow your bone 

loss, and others can 

help rebuild bone. 

Talk with your doctor 

to see if one of these 

might work for you:

Bisphosphonates. These medicines slow 

the breakdown of bone and increase 

bone density. They can make it less 

likely that you will break a bone, most 

of all in your spine, hip, or wrist. Side 

effects may include nausea, heartburn, 

and stomach pain. A few people have 

muscle, bone, or joint pain while using 

these medicines. These drugs must 

be taken in a certain way—when you 

first get up, before you have eaten, 

and with a full glass of water. You 

should not lie down, eat, or drink for 

at least one-half hour after taking the 

drug. Even if you follow the directions 

closely, these drugs can cause serious 

digestive problems, so be aware of any 

side effects. These pills are available in 

once-daily, once-a-week, and once-amonth versions. Some bisphosphonates 

are injected into a vein once every 3 

months or once a year.

Raloxifene. This drug is used to 

prevent and treat osteoporosis. It is 

a SERM (selective estrogen receptor 

modulator). It prevents bone loss and 

spine fractures but may cause hot 

flashes or increase the risk of blood 

clots in some women. 

Estrogen. Doctors sometimes prescribe 

this female hormone around the time 

of menopause to treat symptoms like 

hot flashes or vaginal dryness. Estrogen 

also slows bone loss and increases 

bone mass in your spine and hip, so 

women can use it to prevent or treat 

osteoporosis. But, estrogen use is 

thought to be risky for some women. 

Talk to your doctor. Ask about the 

benefits, risks, and side effects, as well 

as other possible treatments for you. 

Calcitonin. This hormone increases 

bone mass in your spine and can lessen 

the pain of fractures already there. It 

comes in two forms—a shot or nasal 

spray. The shot may cause an allergic 

reaction and has some side effects like 

nausea, diarrhea, or redness in your 

face, ears, hands, or feet. The only side 

effect of the nasal spray is a runny nose 

in some people. Calcitonin is most 

useful for women who are at least 

5 years past menopause. 

Parathyroid hormone (PTH). Also called 

teriparatide, this shot is given daily 

for up to 2 years to postmenopausal 

women and to men who are at high 

risk for broken bones. It improves 

bone density in the spine and hip. 
7 8 

also several medicines 

to think about. Some 

will slow your bone 

loss, and others can 

help rebuild bone. 

Talk with your doctor 

to see if one of these 

might work for you:

Bisphosphonates. These medicines slow 

the breakdown of bone and increase 

bone density. They can make it less 

likely that you will break a bone, most 

of all in your spine, hip, or wrist. Side 

effects may include nausea, heartburn, 

and stomach pain. A few people have 

muscle, bone, or joint pain while using 

these medicines. These drugs must 

be taken in a certain way—when you 

first get up, before you have eaten, 

and with a full glass of water. You 

should not lie down, eat, or drink for 

at least one-half hour after taking the 

drug. Even if you follow the directions 

closely, these drugs can cause serious 

digestive problems, so be aware of any 

side effects. These pills are available in 

once-daily, once-a-week, and once-amonth versions. Some bisphosphonates 

are injected into a vein once every 3 

months or once a year.

Raloxifene. This drug is used to 

prevent and treat osteoporosis. It is 

a SERM (selective estrogen receptor 

modulator). It prevents bone loss and 

spine fractures but may cause hot 

flashes or increase the risk of blood 

clots in some women. 

Estrogen. Doctors sometimes prescribe 

this female hormone around the time 

of menopause to treat symptoms like 

hot flashes or vaginal dryness. Estrogen 

also slows bone loss and increases 

bone mass in your spine and hip, so 

women can use it to prevent or treat 

osteoporosis. But, estrogen use is 

thought to be risky for some women. 

Talk to your doctor. Ask about the 

benefits, risks, and side effects, as well 

as other possible treatments for you. 

Calcitonin. This hormone increases 

bone mass in your spine and can lessen 

the pain of fractures already there. It 

comes in two forms—a shot or nasal 

spray. The shot may cause an allergic 

reaction and has some side effects like 

nausea, diarrhea, or redness in your 

face, ears, hands, or feet. The only side 

effect of the nasal spray is a runny nose 

in some people. Calcitonin is most 

useful for women who are at least 

5 years past menopause. 

Parathyroid hormone (PTH). Also called 

teriparatide, this shot is given daily 

for up to 2 years to postmenopausal 

women and to men who are at high 

risk for broken bones. It improves 

bone density in the spine and hip. 
7 8 

also several medicines 

to think about. Some 

will slow your bone 

loss, and others can 

help rebuild bone. 

Talk with your doctor 

to see if one of these 

might work for you:

Bisphosphonates. These medicines slow 

the breakdown of bone and increase 

bone density. They can make it less 

likely that you will break a bone, most 

of all in your spine, hip, or wrist. Side 

effects may include nausea, heartburn, 

and stomach pain. A few people have 

muscle, bone, or joint pain while using 

these medicines. These drugs must 

be taken in a certain way—when you 

first get up, before you have eaten, 

and with a full glass of water. You 

should not lie down, eat, or drink for 

at least one-half hour after taking the 

drug. Even if you follow the directions 

closely, these drugs can cause serious 

digestive problems, so be aware of any 

side effects. These pills are available in 

once-daily, once-a-week, and once-amonth versions. Some bisphosphonates 

are injected into a vein once every 3 

months or once a year.

Raloxifene. This drug is used to 

prevent and treat osteoporosis. It is 

a SERM (selective estrogen receptor 

modulator). It prevents bone loss and 

spine fractures but may cause hot 

flashes or increase the risk of blood 

clots in some women. 

Estrogen. Doctors sometimes prescribe 

this female hormone around the time 

of menopause to treat symptoms like 

hot flashes or vaginal dryness. Estrogen 

also slows bone loss and increases 

bone mass in your spine and hip, so 

women can use it to prevent or treat 

osteoporosis. But, estrogen use is 

thought to be risky for some women. 

Talk to your doctor. Ask about the 

benefits, risks, and side effects, as well 

as other possible treatments for you. 

Calcitonin. This hormone increases 

bone mass in your spine and can lessen 

the pain of fractures already there. It 

comes in two forms—a shot or nasal 

spray. The shot may cause an allergic 

reaction and has some side effects like 

nausea, diarrhea, or redness in your 

face, ears, hands, or feet. The only side 

effect of the nasal spray is a runny nose 

in some people. Calcitonin is most 

useful for women who are at least 

5 years past menopause. 

Parathyroid hormone (PTH). Also called 

teriparatide, this shot is given daily 

for up to 2 years to postmenopausal 

women and to men who are at high 

risk for broken bones. It improves 

bone density in the spine and hip.