Your bone health is so important!

In May 2018 I was diagnosed with osteopenia in my spine. I was 45 years old.

Four years later, that still means my bones are less dense than expected for my age and lifestyle. It also means I'm at higher risk of fractures and breaks (I've actually broken or fractured bones more than 6 times). I said goodbye to skiing, horseriding, road-running and any sport or activity (including running around in the garden with my kids) that meant I could fall.

Does that mean I'm sitting back and doing nothing about it? Nope.

Let's talk about bone loss for a sec. Bone loss can accelerate during late perimenopause and continue through early postmenopause. If, like me, you're already osteopenic when you enter perimenopause that bone loss can be even more of a problem.

Taking HRT (specifically oestrogen) can help to protect against this loss and weight-bearing exercises like weight training can build muscle mass which calls our bones to become denser to support it. I'm doing both these things and also taking a calcium supplement as I'm sensitive to dairy products.

I listened to this fascinating podcast recently which has lots of useful information and tips about bone health! I highly recommend listening to episode 33 of The Dr Louise Newson Podcast where Dr Newson (@menopause_doctor on Instagram) is joined by Professor David Reid, Consultant Rheumatologist and Osteoporosis Specialist at the University of Aberdeen. You should be able to listen on this page or if not just click the link in this paragraph.

Are you doing anything specific to help support your bone health? I’d love to read your stories in the comments x