This is a condition of the bones where the bones become thin and weak, it mainly occurs in the wrist, hips and spine and it is a disease which mainly affects women who have gone through the menopause. However it isn’t just limited to women and men and younger people can also be affected too, though in younger people there are generally other factors contributing to the cause as well.

Who is affected by the disease?

The disease affects millions of people throughout the world, with more of these being women, a huge percentage of fractures that occur do so as a result of osteoporosis. Women are more at risk due to the loss of bone speeding up after they have gone through the menopause, the risk is increased even more in women who have gone through menopause early or who have had their ovaries removed before reaching menopause.

How do you know if you have osteoporosis?

You should ask yourself the following questions in order to determine if you might be at a higher risk of developing the disease.

• Did you reach menopause before the age of 45?
• Did you miss your periods for more than 6 months due to an eating disorder?
• Have you suffered from fracture due to low trauma in the past?
• Has the doctor mentioned thinning of the bones in previous x-rays?
• During the last 10 years have you shrunk in height?
• Have you taken steroid medication for longer than 6 months?
• Does anyone in your family suffer from the disease?
• Do you have arthritis, bone disease or hormonal problems?
• Do you smoke or drink excessively?

What should I do if I think I might be at risk?

If two or more of the questions above apply to you then you should talk this over with your doctor, your doctor might suggest that you have blood tests and an examination in order to determine if you have the disease.

There are a variety of ways which the disease can be determined; tests include a DEXA scan which involves a very low dosage of x-rays. The x-ray will usually be performed on the hip or wrist and this is to check for the density of your bones, the specialist can then determine if you have the disease or if you might be at risk in the future of developing it.

Ways you can prevent the disease?

You can help to prevent the disease from occurring in several ways:

• Increasing the amount of calcium in your diet.
• Maintain bone density by increasing the amount of weight bearing exercise you do.
• Stop or at least reduce the amount of cigarettes you smoke or the amount of alcohol you drink.

The menopause signifies the end of a woman’s reproductive period and as such is often called the change of life. On average the menopause will begin around the age of 50 but this can vary from person to person with some women starting as early as in their late 30`s and some as late as their 60`s.

The start of the menopause comes around when the ovaries stop responding to hormones released by the pituitary gland in the brain. When this happens the ovaries will not release an egg every month and the periods stop, the oestrogen and progesterone hormones which are the female sex hormones fail and when the level of these fall in the bloodstream the symptoms of menopause arise.

How the menopause begins

Generally most women will suffer from the symptoms and see a sign of the menopause and irregular periods well before the true onset of menopause itself, this period is called the perimenopause. One of the main symptoms at this time will be periods that are both erratic in between and amount, many women have problems with very heavy bleeding during this time. There are several treatments which can help with heavy bleeding and if this is a problem then you should always consult your doctor for advice.

Treatments for heavy bleeding due to menopause

Progestogen tablets

When these tablets are taken for long enough they can help to stop the menstrual flow, certain brands of these tablets are the most effective way of treating the problem and have now been developed to produce the least side effects.

Hysterectomy

Heavy menstrual bleeding is the single most common reason for having a hysterectomy, while the hysterectomy is a relatively major operation is thought to be a relatively safe and successful procedure to use in problems such as intense bleeding.

What are the symptoms of the menopause?

Some women are lucky and notice very few side effects to the menopause while others suffer a great deal from symptoms to the point where it begins to affect their life, common symptoms of the menopause are:

• Hot flushes and sweating.Problems sleeping.
• Depression and anxiety.
• Mood swings.Tiredness.
• Severe headaches.
• Forgetfulness and irritability.
• Lack of sex drive.
• Less intense orgasms.

Hormone replacement therapy

HRT can help to greatly relive the symptoms of the menopause by making adjustments to the hormone levels, there are some symptoms to taking this medication, however they don’t affect all women but the symptoms are:

• Nausea.
• Weight gain.
• Breast tenderness.
• Fluid retention.