Studies have shown that taking steroid tablets continually or high doses of inhaled steroids for a number of years may increase the risk of osteoporosis. Using a spacer to take your inhaled steroid medication. Rinsing your mouth out after taking your steroid inhaler. Make sure your diet contains plenty of calcium-rich foods such as yoghurts, cheese, bread and milk. Smoking can bring on a premature menopause.
Smokers are also more at risk of fractures as their bone mineral density is lower than non-smokers.
Drink only moderate amounts of alcohol. One of the main jobs of HRT is to slow down bone loss in women. It may even reverse some of the bone changes of osteoporosis. If you and your doctor decide that HRT is not appropriate, ask about other treatments using bisphosphonates which may reduce the risk of bone thinning. Recently, an American study caused alarm by suggesting that women taking HRT are more likely to develop asthma.