This is an X-ray procedure that is very simple and easy and can be completed within ten minutes. It requires no needles of any sort, so the patient simply lays on the table and has the bone mineral density performed. One could anticipate osteoporosis based on the risk factors we discussed earlier. People who feel at risk should be screened, as early as the perimenopausal time, that is when women begin having menopausal symptoms. This is a critical time because, as stated earlier, delayed of loss of bone mass for women after menopause will increase twofold for five to ten years.
Individuals can lose substantial amounts of bone, perhaps as much as twenty percent in that time.
This can be prevented with current medications. Lastly, all postmenopausal women who have a history of fracture should be screened. It is important that one has BMD performed on a comparable or the same machine. There are several different manufacturers of BD machines. Even a machine that measures BD of the spine will measure a slightly different value for the bone density by a different manufacturer.