Three-minute risk checker to spare you a life of pain

F I KNEW then what I know now! If only someone had told me about the risks!” These are the all-too-familiar cries of despair I hear from women who have just been diagnosed with osteoporosis. They simply had no idea that half of women over 50 will break a bone because of it.

- By Liz Earle

FIGHT FOR FITNESS: Half of women over 50 break a bone due to osteoporosis

If, like so many, you have never heard of osteoporosis, I can tell you it’s a cruel and silent condition that causes bones to weaken and break more easily. Fractures can happen from as little as a cough, a sneeze and even a hug!

For women, menopause speeds up their journey to osteoporosis and fragility fractures. This is because oestrogen, the hormone that keeps bones strong and healthy, starts to naturally decline after menopause.

There are so many other risk factors for osteoporosis too. Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s and coeliac, long-term use of oral steroid medication and lifestyle factors like smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are just some. These risk factors can mean that people much younger than 50 get the condition.

It is often not until they break their spine, wrist or hip that many people find out their bones have been silently weakening until they fracture. The spine can suffer compression fractures that lead to excruciating pain and long-term physical changes like height loss and a rounded back.