Women who smoke face a serious increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke when using estrogens. This risk should be discussed with your physician before beginning hormone replacement therapy , if you are a smoker. Your doctor will assist you if you choose to quit smoking. Osteoporosis affects most of us if we live long enough. But there are certain things we can do to reduce our risk of osteoporosis such as participating in regular physical activity and making sure we are getting 1000mg to 1500mg of calcium daily.
Smoking causes a significant increase in the risk of bone loss and osteoporosis .
Women who smoke, one pack of cigarettes a day, often experience a loss of bone density equaling five to ten percent more than nonsmokers by the time they reach menopause. Bone density scanning, to determine the density of your bone structure, is recommended for all women beginning at age 40. Bone density scanning is particularly crucial for women smokers so that changes can be noted and treatment can ensue if osteoporosis is noted. Approximately 34,000 deaths in women from ischemic heart disease are attributed to smoking each year. Although most of these deaths are in women past menopause, the risk of smoking-related heart disease is significantly higher in young women smokers.