Dipping hormone levels are a major reason why our wellness can be affected by bone conditions, which also explains why the condition is more often linked to the wellbeing of women. This can lead to the condition in men being overlooked, so even we forget to look for signs we could have it now, or develop it in the future.
Gender differences
It’s true that more women than men seem to get osteoporosis. This is because women stop producing so much of the hormone oestrogen as they get older, which slows down the rate that bone cells are produced. But men are also affected by changes to their hormones and figures show that up to two million males in the US have the disease and a further 33 to 47 per cent are at risk of getting it as they have osteopenia, which is lower than average bone density. As women’s bones are smaller and tend to be lighter, they can show signs of osteoporosis before men, meaning some men only get a proper diagnosis of osteoporosis after getting a fracture.
Risk groups
Aspects of our lifestyle or medical history that leads to changes in hormones are linked with bone conditions. As men, if we have low levels of testosterone, or if we’ve taken some cancer drugs, anti-convulsants, or steroids in the past, we may be more likely to get osteoporosis. Lifestyle factors, such as smoking, excessive alcohol, low activity levels and low-calcium diets can also increase our risk of getting the disease.
After diagnosis
If we fall into some risk groups, it may be up to us to bring this to the attention of a doctor so we can get bone mineral density (BMD) tests to measure how thick our bones are at the hip and spine. Clinicians may already be aware that we could get the disease especially if we get sudden back pain, or our height/posture changes quickly. When tests show we have a low BMD doctors work on trying to up our bone density and slow down the loss of cells, which can be helped with medication. Eating up to 1,200mg of calcium daily and including Vitamin D in our diet can also enhance bone health, as does regular exercise and a healthy diet.
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