Osteoporosis is a condition that involves thinning of the bones and can lead to bone fractures.
Osteoporosis has gained much attention in women, but older men are also at some risk for osteoporosis. The hormones estrogen and testosterone play an important role in bone health. When the testicles produce too little testosterone, the main sex hormone in men, the condition is known as hypogonadism . Young men with hypogonadism develop osteoporosis unless they are treated with testosterone supplements. Some degree of hypogonadism occurs with normal aging, but it is unclear whether the hypogonadism of aging explains the osteoporosis that can occur in elderly men.