Overview There are three periods that are critical for prevention of osteoporosis-and prevention is key since there is no cure: Health Tips from Dr. Healy: Video: What you need to know about arthritis pain medication Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control See the top online resources for information about bones, joints &, muscles More about osteoporosis Osteoporosis Clinical Trials-Related Information Email this page Print this section

• From the time of adolescence to age 25 (when peak bone mass is obtained). During this time, it is of critical importance to get lots of weight-bearing exercise, take calcium, and don't smoke.
• At menopause, when women may experience rapid bone loss over a five-to-six-year period. Ideally, every woman should have a bone density screening at menopause, but health insurers won't often pay for the test at menopause unless a woman has symptoms of osteoporosis or is at significant risk for the condition. By knowing their bone health at the time of menopause, women could begin an appropriate treatment regimen before they start breaking bones. Postmenopausal women and men over age 65 should increase their daily intake of calcium and Vitamin D.
• At the time of the first fracture, which may be an early sign of osteoporosis. People who have a fracture should have an evaluation that includes a bone density test.

This section on preventing osteoporosis has information on:

• Lifestyle choices
• Diet
• Medications, including hormone therapy or HT