Simply put, osteoporosis develops when bones break down faster than they grow. There are three types of cells in our bones: those that are responsible for forming bones, those responsible for breaking down bones, and those that help the other two types of cells and other cells throughout the body talk to each other.In childhood, the cells that form bone grow faster than the cells that break down bone. But after menopause (either surgical or natural), the cells that break down bone grow faster than the cells that form bone.