Keeping your bones healthy during Menopause

 

Picture of Old Women Facing Menopause
Keeping your bones healthy during Menopause

Over the course of life, the body maintains a balance between the loss of bone mass (bone) and the creation of new bone mass. Bone mass reaches its peak (in size and density) at the age of approximately 30 years. Then, between the ages of 30 and 35, the body begins to lose bone mass more rapidly than it can build it.

Menopause - the suspension of menstruation, usually around the age of 50 - considerably accelerates the loss of bone mass. After menopause, the ovaries stop making estrogen, a hormone that helps keep bones strong. Even during perimenopause (the two to an eight-year period before menopause), when menstruation becomes irregular, the level of estrogen can begin to drop and cause a rapid loss of bone mass.

Over time, this excessive bone loss can initially cause osteopenia (loss of bone mass) or even osteoporosis, a disorder in which the bones become weak and the chances of fracture increase.

How can the loss of bone mass be reduced and what is its treatment?
Diet and lifestyle can prevent and treat bone loss. However, successful treatment of osteoporosis generally includes a combination of nutritional supplements, lifestyle changes, and medications. 

●  Calcium. Starting in their 30s or 35s, women should get 1,200 mg of calcium every day. Starting in their 50s (typically when menopause begins), women should consume 1,200 to 1,500 mg of calcium every day. To maintain an adequate calcium level, you should eat a well-balanced diet that includes calcium-rich dairy products and take a daily calcium supplement, if necessary.

●  Vitamin D. The body needs vitamin D to absorb calcium and integrate it into the bones. Sunlight produces vitamin D in the skin. The main food sources are milk and cereals fortified with vitamin D, egg yolks, saltwater fish and liver. Some calcium supplements and most multivitamins contain vitamin D. Adults under 50 years of age should get 800 IU (International Units) of vitamin D daily. From the age of 50, 800 to 1,000 IUs are needed daily.

● Exercise. Bone strength stays stronger if you use them daily for weight-bearing activities, such as walking or lifting weights. Lack of exercise accelerates bone loss after menopause. At least 20 minutes a day of exercise can reduce bone loss.

●  Medicines. There are several medications that can prevent or even reverse osteoporosis. These medications can be used in addition to calcium, vitamin D supplements, and exercise:

  1. Bisphosphonates (alendronate, risedronate, ibandronate, and zoledronic acid)
  2. Raloxifene
  3. Hormone therapy (estrogen alone or, if you still have a uterus, combined with progestin) in some women for a short time
  4. Human parathyroid hormone (teriparatide) for acute osteoporosis
  5. Calcitonin
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