7 signs you may need a bone density test before age 65
1. You broke a bone with minor trauma.
If you get injured on a daily basis and end up with a fracture, this does not bode well for your bone density. “Your bones, in general, should be able to withstand minor impacts in adulthood,” says Dr. Templeton. So a broken bone with minimal trauma, especially if it happens more than once, indicates that you may want to ask your doctor about DEXA.
2. A close family member developed osteoporosis at a young age.
“For some of us, our genetics make us either bad bone builders when we’re young or bone losers when we’re middle-aged,” Dr. Bocatta says. Having a parent or sibling develop osteoporosis at a younger age than usual, in their 40s or 50s, indicates that genetics is suboptimal. (One common way osteoporosis occurs is through a hip fracture.)
3. You entered menopause before the age of 45.
Reaching menopause before age 45 means spending extra years with less bone-protecting estrogen in your system, which increases your risk of osteoporosis and fractures.
Early menopause It can occur as part of medical treatment, for example in women who take ovarian suppressing medicines for a hormone-sensitive condition such as endometriosis or cancer and in those who have had their ovaries removed. It can also occur spontaneously in women whose ovaries slow production of estrogen prematurely.
4. You take corticosteroids long-term.
If you have chronic immune problems, for example severe allergies or asthma, an autoimmune disease such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory condition such as eczema or Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)-You may take an oral corticosteroid such as prednisone for several months (or years) at a time. Although long-term cycling can be an essential part of keeping symptoms at bay, it can also hurt your bones, says Dr. Templeton, by hindering your ability to form and maintain bone tissue.
