Catch up on our webinar: “Healthy Bones, Healthy Life: Menopause and Osteoporosis”

Maintaining good bone health and managing osteoporosis is clearly a topic of great interest – hundreds of you registered for this webinar where we spoke to Consultant Endocrinologist  Dr Afroze Abbas, and the questions from our audience came thick and fast! And it’s no wonder – women aged over 45 years spend more days in hospital because of osteoporosis than diabetes, heart attack or breast cancer. As we heard in the webinar, the good news is that osteoporosis is both preventable and treatable. Tune in to hear about Dr Afroze’s and Dr Clare’s top tips for maintaining good bone health during the menopause transition:

✔️Regular exercise – the most useful exercises are weight-bearing and resistance.

✔️Stop smoking – as well as reducing your risk of smoking-related bone loss, it will also reduce your risk of cancer.

✔️Drink less alcohol – cutting out or cutting down on your intake can help your bone-building, as well as the absorption of vitamin D and calcium.

✔️Calcium – women’s recommended daily calcium intake is around 700mg, equivalent to a pint of semi-skimmed milk. It can be found in dairy products, tofu, nuts, and leafy green vegetables. If you’re vegan and using oat- or soya milk, check for versions fortified with calcium.

✔️Vitamin D – made by the body in response to sunlight on the skin, this vitamin is also found in certain foods, such as fish, eggs and fortified food such as bread and cereal. It’s recommended to take a vitamin D supplement containing at least 10 micrograms (400iu (international units)) of vitamin D during the autumn and winter. However, some may need more than this and those at risk of low vitamin D or osteoporosis may be advised to take vitamin D the whole year round.

✔️HRT – numerous studies have confirmed the beneficial effect of HRT on the skeleton, and shown that it reduces the number of broken bones and can prevent bone loss. For most women, the benefits of menopause symptom control and the reduction in the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease far outweigh any small risks.

They also discuss how osteoporosis is diagnosed, risk factors and why it becomes more common during the menopause transition, and the use of bisphosphonates to manage the condition.

Happy viewing!

We shared the following links during the webinar:

• To book an appointment with Dr Afroze, head here
• Book an appointment with Dr Clare or one of the menopause doctors in our clinic here
• Osteoporosis symptom checker
•  Joint pain symptom checker
• Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX)