OSTEOPOROSIS AND WOMEN

• Eighty percent of those with osteoporosis are female.
• One-third to one-half of all postmenopausal women are affected by osteoporosis.
• The risk of hip fracture is 2 - 3 times higher for women than men : spinal osteoporosis is 8 times more likely to affect women than men.
• At age 50 a Caucasion women has 54 % chance of an osteoporotic fracture in her remaining years. She has a 34 % chance of suffering a spinal fracture, a 17% chance of hip fracture and a 16% chance of wrist fracture.
• After the age of 50a woman's risk of developing osteoporosis doubles every 5 years.
• For the average woman, the risk of developing osteoporosis is greater then the combined risk of developing endometrial. ( cancer of the uterus ) or breast cancer.
• 75% of vertebral fractures in women are due to the bone loss accompanying menopause. This factor is also the cause of 50-60% of hip fractures.
• A study conducted by the Mayo Clinic found that women lose approximately 47% of bone density from the spine in a lifetime.
• Bone loss in women tends to begin at age 35 at a rate of 0.5 - 1% per year. This can increase to 3 - 7 % per year for the first 3 - 5 years after menopause ( and possibly beyond). Therefore, it is possible for a women to lose 9 - 35 % of bone density in the year immediately following menopause.
• Women who smoke regularly ( at least ½ pack per day ) become menopausal almost 2 year earlier than those who do not smoke. This true for women who breathe secondhand smoke on a regular basis.
• Post-menopausal hormone replacement can reduce the risk of developing osteoporotic fracture by up to 50 %.
• A women who takes at least 10 days of progesterone replacement after menopause is estimated to have a 10 % lower risk of endometrial cancer then a women who takes no hormones.