The bones of the spine are also a common area of thinning. Your health care provider may discover you have osteoporosis from an x-ray taken for some other problem. Otherwise, the diagnosis might be made from a review of your medical history and symptoms, a physical exam, and x-rays and blood tests. If you are in a high-risk category, your provider may order tests that measure the density of the bones in your forearm and spine. Treatment cannot eliminate osteoporosis, but it can slow down the loss of bone.
Women begin to produce less estrogen before menopause.
Without this hormone to help bones stay strong, women are more likely to have osteoporosis. Taking estrogen pills around the time of menopause is the best way to slow calcium loss from the bones and keep your bones strong. Many physicians are now prescribing estrogen replacement for women in the near- menopause period because the greatest loss of bone density occurs in the first years of menopause. There are pros and cons for taking estrogen. Estrogen helps slow the loss of bone and may decrease your risk of heart and blood vessel disease.