Bone mass loss slows when a woman is in her 70s, but by the time she is 80, she could lose 40 percent of her peak bone mass, Miller-Bode said. In our clinic, we provide education and prevention counseling and screening. If we can get women to peak their bone mass at a higher level, their chance of developing osteoporosis will be reduced, Miller-Bode said. Two common ways of preventing osteoporosis are diet and exercise. Yet, excessive diet and exercise also can rob bones of calcium.
Athletes are at high risk because they have low body fat.
Estrogen is stored in fat cells. If there is too little or too much fat, the menstrual cycle is affected. There isn t a proper balance of female hormones, she said. For that same reason, women who have eating disorders also are considered high risk. There are so many women who are at risk and are missed because they don t get screened.