An Online Calculator Predicts Your Risk for Hip Fracture

 Much has been much written about the consequences of declining estrogen levels on bone health.  That’s why a dosage of 1200-1500 mg of calcium daily is recommended  for menopausal women along with a bisphosphonate like Fosamax and Boniva to stem or even reverse bone loss if it has already begun to occur.  If you’re concerned about your bone health, you should take a look at a new “risk calculator” developed by researchers from the Women’s Health Initiative that guages a woman’s risk of breaking a hip in the next five years. 

If you go to this website you’ll see an online questionnaire that identifies 11 factors that together may predict hip fractures more accurately than bone density (as measured by a DEXA scan) alone.  Included in the known risk factors are diabetes, inactivity, corticosteroid use, family history and smoking. It’s a good way to see how some lifestyle changes can improve your risk profile.