Menopause and Osteoporosis: How to Reduce Risk and Medications

A woman goes through a lot of physical transitions in her life starting from her younger years wherein menstruation occurs, then to adulthood wherein pregnancy may happen, later on to the menopause, which is the end of a woman’s menstruation’s cycle.

Menopause brings a lot of changes in a woman’s body, especially in terms of hormones. Estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that drastically declines during this phase affect a woman’s body in every way such as bone loss. With this said, it is essential that you should be prepared as to what may lie in the future.

And without further ado, here are the things that you can do to reduce your risk of bone loss and osteoporosis, and what is the medication that you can have to help your bone stay healthy and strong despite the age.

What is Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is a bone disease which weakens the bone that leads to several physical injuries. The increased risk of sudden fractures in any areas of the body may not only cause shallow injuries but may also be causes of health complications.

Osteoporosis means porous bone since it is a result of an increased reduction in bone mass and strength of a person’s body. Moreover, this bone disease is not discovered until an individual’s weakened bones cause painful fractures or any broken bones (which commonly happens on a person’s back).

To add with the risks of osteoporosis, once you have experienced an osteoporotic fracture, then you might be at higher risk of having another. Not to mention that these fractures can be debilitating.

What is the Link between Menopause and Osteoporosis?

Menopause causes the degrade of the production of hormones, primarily estrogen. Now, estrogen plays a vital role in making our bones healthy since it helps in the bone’s metabolism, and with the decrease of a woman’s body production of estrogen, it serves as the link between osteoporosis and menopause.

Prempro

What is Prempro? To start, this drug is a combination medication which contains two of the primarily reduced hormones of women during menopause: estrogen and progestin. It is available with a prempro coupon and is used to help women reduce symptoms of menopause like vaginal dryness or hot flashes. But most importantly, it helps with the reduction of your risk in severing bone loss.

Prempro Side Effects

Just like in any prescribed medication, prempro also has its side effects. You may experience stomach upset, nausea or vomiting, breast tenderness, bloating, headache or weight changes during your medication. Know that these are all normal, but if any of the symptoms persist or worsen, then tell your doctor right away.

On the other hand, if you are experiencing any of this medication’s side effects like mental or mood changes, breast lumps, unusual vaginal bleeding, vaginal irritation, or any pain, then you should tell your doctor immediately.

Know that this medication rarely causes any serious problems like blood clots such as stroke, heart attack, and deep vein thrombosis. But if you experience severe side effects like chest, left arm, or jaw pain, severe headache, and unusual sweating, then it might be best to consult your doctor immediately.

Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Bone Loss Risk

Treatment is one thing that you should do to help out your body. However, your cooperation with your medicine should also be a priority, which is why it is essential for you to have some lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and bone loss. Thus, here are the things that you can do to help put your body.

Staying Active

Being physically active helps your body in many ways. Health professionals recommend that adults ages 19 to 64 at least have a moderate-intensity activity for 150 minutes in bouts of ten minutes or more each week.

In staying active, you can choose whatever form of exercise that you are comfortable with. May it be from brisk walking or jogging to weight-bearing and resistance exercises like doing aerobics or press-ups.

Have a Balanced Diet

Since your body lacks nutrition and hormones during the menopause phase, it is essential that you’d provide those lacks. For nutrients, there are two that helps in making your bones healthy and, and these are calcium and vitamin D.

Calcium. Good sources for calcium are green and leafy vegetables, dried fruits, nuts, tinned fish with bones, and dairy products like yogurt, milk, and cheese. To be careful with your weight, you may opt for lower-fat dairy products that do not compromise your intake of calcium such as yogurts or skim milk.

Vitamin D. Good sources for vitamin D are eggs, oily fish or omega-3 found in fishes like salmons and mackerels, eggs, and breakfast cereals fortified with vitamin D. Note that this vitamin is difficult to get enough from food alone. Thus it is important to take supplements or get some sunlight.

Takeaway

Getting old is a blessing, but it also brings a lot of risks in terms of one’s health. Which is why it is essential for you to take good care of your health and be prepared for what your age has to offer you. Remember that health is wealth, thus, to fully enjoy your quality of life, make sure that you take good care of your body.