Osteoporosis in Women . Health Family Literature Resources Home Repair . In osteoporosis, the inside of the bones becomes porous and thin. Over time, this weakens the bones and may make them more likely to break.
Osteoporosis is much more common in women than in men.
This is because women have less bone mass then men, tend to live longer and take in less dietary calcium. Women also need the female hormone estrogen to keep their bones strong. If men live long enough, they are also at risk of getting osteoporosis later in life. In women, the rate of bone loss speeds up during menopause, when estrogen levels fall. Bone loss may also occur if both ovaries are removed by surgery.