Americans numbering over 44 million, suffer from osteoporosis and 80 percent of those are women. Osteoporosis is defined as the condition of porous bones in which there is a loss of calcium and brittleness and softness to the bones. This condition worsens, making the bone more fragile, alters the posture and makes it vulnerable for fractures. Osteoporosis hails from a Latin word that means "porous bones".

Women are more prone to osteoporosis than men because of the hormonal differences. Women with ages over thirty and thirty five, will start to experience bone mass reduction and when they reach the ages in between fifty-five and seventy, they will generally lose 30 to 40 percent of bone mass.

There are no symptoms associated with bone loss. Victims are quite often wary that they have osteoporosis not until they have broken a bone, wrist or hip only from slight accident. Bones are weakened to such a degree when osteoporosis sets in, that even a hug can cause the rib bones to fracture. It is in the final stages of osteoporosis that loss of height occurs due to the fractural compressions in the vertebrae. My mother and other women in my family have experienced this. Their heights seemed to be reducing every year and their upper backs started to arc. Before, we did not understand what it was and assumed that it was how old people become, that's why it was left unaided.

Generally, there are two kinds of osteoporosis. The first type of osteoporosis is due to hormonal changes such as loss of estrogen. The second type of osteoporosis is due to calcium and Vitamin D deficiency.

Even though osteoporosis is a silent disease not until it is advanced, there are some early warning indicators. Therefore, be conscious of any changes in height, bending or circling of the shoulders, and widespread soreness.

Anyone can have osteoporosis, regardless of age, gender and culture. One in two women and two in four men over the age of fifty will have a fracture in their lifetime. Medication on fractures due to osteoporosis cost a huge amount of roughly $18 billion in 2002 and still on the rise. You are at risk of osteoporosis if you are over fifty with a history of a fracture, being female, if there is family history of osteoporosis, if you have a small frame, if there is an estrogen deficiency resulting from early or surgery induced menopause, calcium and vitamin D deficiency, low testosterone levels in men, an inactive lifestyle, or use of alcohol and tobacco products. If you doubt that you are in danger of having osteoporosis, consult your doctor to ascertain the best option for your health. Your physician may recommend you to exercise with weights, eat a vitamin D and calcium-enriched diet, get bone mass assessments, take medication if needed, and live a healthy lifestyle. In advance stages of osteoporosis where there is weakened vertebrae and spine compression, your physician may recommend a back/shoulder brace to relieve the pain, support the spine and weight distribution of the body. Osteoporosis in its initial stages can be prevented with a bone mass assessment.