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Posted on 06/09/2026 8:50:00 PM PDT by nickcarraway
May is now Osteoporosis Awareness Month in Illinois
Osteoporosis is a huge threat to women as they grow older, and a Chicago doctor is hoping a simple scan can help patients avoid catastrophic injuries.
Mary Driver is still recovering from a nasty fall she took on a sidewalk near the train station in suburban Lake Forest last fall, after a four mile run with a friend. She knew immediately her wrist was broken.
"And, I broke it really badly. I had never broken a bone that seriously before in my life," said Driver.
The active 71-year-old turned down a DEXA scan in September because she thought her bones were healthy.
"I was like, 'nah, I'm a runner, I am fine,'" said Driver.
After her fall, she visited Bone and Body Women's Health in Winnetka, where she was diagnosed with osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become weak, brittle, and porous, significantly increasing the risk of unexpected fractures.
"They literally told me if I sneeze, I could break my back. That's pretty darn scary," she said.
Driver is now taking medication and has changed her diet, with guidance from Dr. Kristi DeSapri.
"Osteoporosis affects eight million women in the U.S. Globally, that’s one fracture every three seconds," said DeSapri, the founder of Bone and Body. "There’s weakening of the bone density and bone quality that predisposes you to an increased risk for fractures."
Risk factors increase during and after menopause when estrogen declines. Age and genetics can also play a role, as well as lifestyle factors like being sedentary, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption.
Those who don't have enough calcium or vitamin D are also at risk.
DeSapri recommends a DEXA scan, a noninvasive imaging test, around the time of the Menopause transition.
"That time is really a critical window for women to understand their risk of a fracture, know their bone density, evaluate bone strength," she said. "And the reason again for a screening test, just like a screening mammogram, is that we've identified women who might be at risk where we can intervene in that period. So, the intervention is really actually knowledge, right? When we have education, we can make proactive decisions."
Fewer than 25% of women get DEXA scans, according to DeSapri. She attributes that to limited technology in many clinics, and less insurance reimbursement. And those who do get diagnosed, aren't getting treated.
"One of the major reasons that treatment adherence rates, and continuation rates, and even start rates are so low is because bone health is sort of fragmented. Even in our medical establishments, we don't have one doctor that treats osteoporosis," said DeSapri. "The other reason is that osteoporosis is painless until a fracture occurs."
Osteoporosis can't be fully reversed, but it can be treated and managed through lifestyle changes and medication.
"Bone health is inherited. Risk factors are there. There's secondary causes like metabolic bone conditions we can find and treat. So, a fracture isn’t inevitable," said DeSapri. "At every stage, we should be thinking about things like calcium, exercise, vitamin D, knowing our family history, and understanding risk factors for bone loss."
Driver is getting back to her former, active lifestyle, with caution. For now, she's running on an indoor track instead of outside.She's using her experience to encourage other women to advocate for their health.
"It's nothing to be ashamed of. We're women. We go through this stuff. Get past that, because it's your health, it's your life," she said.
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“Doctor hopes a simple scan will can help more women avoid osteoporosis fractures”. It’s too late for Nancy Pelosi.
I’m about to get attacked.
Want to not deal with osteoporosis or a whole slew of other problems, do HRT.
For a woman, I think this is a good read: https://www.amazon.com/Outliving-Your-Ovaries-Endocrinologist-Replacement/dp/146367662X
Basically it boils down to this: what we call menopause, what some archaic doctors call normal and brush off, what many people will claim is unnatural to fight with HRT, is a rapid shutdown of parts of the endocrine system as a woman ages. Men simply have a slow decline of about 1% per year after their early 20s.
You can ignore the hot flashes, the loss of sex drive, the changes in body fat and it’s distribution, the mood and temperament changes, and eventually osteoporosis, or you can take it as your body trying to tell you something.
The human wasn’t made to live past 35 or so.
In caveman times, you were end of life by your mid 30s, and MOST of these diseases we are fighting today, MOST of the money we spend on healthcare are in actuality related to geriatrics.
—If someone told you, it’s natural not to be able to see right when you get older. Would you accept that with cataracts?
—If someone told you, it’s normal to have bad hips and knees as you get older, just accept the pain and try not to walk so much. Would you accept that?
—If someone told you, it’s normal to start losing your teeth slowly with age. Would you accept that?
—If someone told you, it’s normal to be losing your hearing. Would you accept that?
Why do we accept parts of the endocrine system shutting down and why do we not see this as an illness which needs treated?
Why do we treat this different than any other thing which is broke and where your body is clearly sending you the message?
A friend on Prolia had a dramatic increase in bone density as shown by a Dexascan. The increase was so much her endrocrinologist was shocked.
A few month later her leg broke and dropped her to the floor.
Her orthopedic surgeon who pinned her femur said a Dexascan although the gold standard can’t determine the true strength of bone.
Prolia blocks the osteoclasts that removes old bone. Osteoblasts that build bone continue. The point being if you never remove old bone that becomes more and more brittle, you still have a major problem.
I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in my right hip only. When I slipped on black ice this past December, it was my left hip, actually my left femur that fractured. I also fractured my left elbow and left scapula. They put a rod and screws along the femur. I spent 4 weeks in a horrid rehab center I wouldn’t send my worse enemy to. Hip and thigh still bother me from time to time. When I walk, I can feel something crunching, especially when I put my hand over the area. I also have popping in the butt cheek area whenever I get up off the couch or the toilet. Same thing when I lay in bed and roll over, but they tell me everything is just great!!
The mortality rate for a broken hip is between 20% and 30% for elderly patients in the first year. It hurts so much many just don’t want to live any more.
After this incident, my gynecologist put me on Miacalcin, which is a nasal spray. One spray a day, switching sides each day. I used that without incident for a while. My family doctor switched me to Vitamin D and 5,000 IU once a week. I was on those two supplements for quite a while until my blood work showed both my Vitamin D and calcium levels were way too high. It turned out that I have a hyperparathyroid that causes my body to produce more calcium than normal, so he told me to stop taking both of those.
Hyperparathyroid causes your body to pull calcium out of your bones and put it into your bloodstream. The loss of bone calcium accelerates osteoporosis and the high blood calcium causes all kinds of other problems. Calcium is an important electrolyte involved in nerve signaling and when its level is off you get neurological effects including extreme fatigue and heart rhythm problems.
My mom had a severe case of hyperparathyroid that evaded diagnoses for years and years until she finally happened upon a doctor who was familiar with the condition and spotted the signs in her bloodwork. She went to a specialist clinic in St. Petersburg, Florida, where they performed a surgery to remove an enlarged lobe on her parathyroid. She experienced a dramatic turnaround in her symptoms that began immediately after the surgery.
She is now taking vitamin D and calcium supplements to recalcify her bones but it will be a decades-long process. I am extremely concerned about her breaking a bone but there’s not much that can be done other than the obvious risk reductions.
“will can” ?
Bone density does not equate to bone strength.
Mr mm actually increased his bone density without meds.
Eating well and lots of exercise.
And yes, I have heard the same thing about strong bones, which come from exercise, not calcium intake or Fosamax.
My mother was diagnosed with lupus in the late 60's or early 70's. At least 20 or so years ago, I went to see a Rheumatologist for chronic joint pain. I was given the Anti-Nuclear Antibody (ANA) test. The results said I had some of the symptoms for lupus, but not enough to be diagnosed with the disease. Instead, he diagnosed me with an "Undifferentiated Connective-Tissue Disorder." It is recognized as a diagnostic category. I'll likely mention that too when I see her. Perhaps I need to have them check to see if the condition is out of remission.
My wife is 76 and has been taking D and Calcium supplements for years to help maintain bone density - along with regular low-impact exercises.
Well, if it “will can help” then I’m in favor of it.
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