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, 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, spine, or heel. Treatment cannot eliminate osteoporosis, but medications can slow down the loss of bone and rebuild some bone.
Women begin to produce less estrogen before menopause.
Without this hormone to help bones stay strong, women are more likely to have osteoporosis. Starting to take estrogen pills around the time of menopause is the best way to slow calcium loss from the bones and keep the bones strong. The greatest loss of bone density occurs in the first years of menopause. For this reason many health care providers prescribe estrogen for women who are close to menopause. There are pros and cons for taking estrogen.