Vertebral fractures are most common but hip fractures are most disabling and life threatening.
Estrogen depletion is a major contributor to bone loss in women. When a raw z score is less than -2, then one should look for secondary causes. All these conditions should lead the physician to order bone mineral densitometry studies. The more the weight bearing, the less the osteoporosis. Medicare allows for BMD studies every two years - more frequent if a patient is on steroids or if there is an established diagnosis of osteoporosis and the patient is on therapy.