I have been diagnosed with osteopenia since 50. I am on calcium and vitam D. I have a few risk factors small frame, Caucasian but I am a regular gym person and lift weights 3-4 times per week. I have always been thin 5ft 8 and about 125 lbs. My older sister is diagnosed as well. My mom was just diagnosed and she is 78 but she is still a regular gym person as well. At 78 she does yoga, spin,and Body Pump a group weight class. It's possible a history in your family?

I have also been diagnosed with osteopenia. I had my first scan around age 55. I was also surprised, because I have always been very active, I walk a lot, run some, and lift weights, so I thought that I wouldn't be at high risk for it. However, I have never been much into dairy products. Never drank milk as a kid unless it had Nestle Quik in it. I am now taking calcium and vitamin D supplements, and subsequent scans haven't shown it worsening.

Add me to the list. I have all the risk factors as well. I do weight training 2/3 times a week and take calcium twice a day.

I also have it (at 40 years old). My doc explained that it means I’m at higher risk of getting osteoporosis. Doesn’t mean I WILL get it, but I have time to try to reverse it with D3, calcium and a once/wk pill (that I’ll take for 2 years I think he said).

Been there, done that!. I've always been pretty good about diet and exercise though gained a few pounds with menopause. Your Dr. will probably recommend Boniva, Foxamex, etc. as well as calcium, vitamin D and weight bearing exercises. I tried all the oral medications but had little benefit from them. A couple of years ago I started the injections (Prolia), bio-identical hormone therapy and Pilates (along with our regular daily hour long hikes). I lost a few pounds and am now at an ideal weight. My last bone density test showed a 7% improvement which took me out of osteoporosis and back to osteopenia. I'm looking forward to my next test because I have reason to believe the numbers will improve once again and hopeful they'll be within normal limits.

I would suggest doing everything possible to avoid a decline in your numbers. If you don't have physical limitations, jump on the exercise/diet bandwagon and be grateful that you can; so many can't.

Osteopenia means your bone density is lower than normal for your age/reference, but you are not yet at the level of osteoporosis. For example, osteoporosis is 2.5 standard deviations (SD) below the norm, while osteopenia is 1-2.5 standard deviations below the norm. It means you have more bone loss than what would be expected.

I don't have too much more to add other than what has been said, but definitely resistance training, starting light but working up to higher intensity lower reps (6-8) and weight bearing exercise like walking, aerobics, tennis, volleyball, etc., something that involves jumping. Hopefully you do not have other orthopedic limitations that would limit you in weight bearing activity or resistance training.

Have you had your vitamin D levels tested, too? If you have any other medications or medical conditions that might affect your bones, such as long-term prednisone use or if you are a cancer survivor, or history of smoking.

I was diagnosed with it at 50. My mom has osteoporosis, and I fit the risk profile. Interestingly, my doctor didn’t seem all that concerned about my diagnosis nor did she offer any suggestions. I do exercise, take calcium and eat a generally healthy diet.

I’m like dsg. I was diagnosed with osteopenia in my 40s. Took Fosamax along with Calcium with D and a separate Vit D, for 10 yrs and was taken off Fosamax because that’s about the recommmended time limit for it and it wasn’t really working.

I have moved to osteoporosis, which my mom also had. I started Prolea last year and have had 2 shots of it. Next checkup is next month so I’ll have the first look if it’s working or not.

I am also a cardiac patient so while my low weight and being caucasian plays into the osteos, my cardiologist says don’t gain weight and I am listening to him. My osteo doctor is surprised I have’t broken bones yet; however, there is no life activity that I refrain from. I exercise regularly and will be going on a 3 mile walk with weights inabout 2 hrs.

I would be surprised if a post-menopausal woman did NOT experience osteopenia. The nature of the female life cycle is such that bones stopped getting built at the same rate once menopause has started.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/womens-health/osteopenia-when-you-have-weak-bones-but-not-osteoporosis

Thank you all-mdln, especially thanks for the helpful article.

My doctor tends to the less interventionist end of the treatment scale so I am eager to hear what she says. It's an interesting diagnosis in that it seems there's some disagreement as to whether or not this is a 'disease' or simply something that happens naturally as one ages. Nevertheless, my doctor already told me before the test that I need to start exercising (she recommended 150 minutes/week in any variety of time increments) so I suppose this is, if nothing else, supportive evidence of the wisdom of that advice :)

Here's an interesting article on the subject of osteopenia as a "disease" ...

https://www.npr.org/2009/12/21/121609815/how-a-bone-disease-grew-to-fit-the-prescription

The NPR article should be required reading for any woman considering taking Fosamax or a similar drug for osteopenia.

Since sarcopenia means age-related loss of muscle mass, I presumed osteopenia meant loss of bone mass & my dictionary confirmed it.

I also understand that weight bearing/resistance exercise can be helpful for both...?

And increasing your protein consumption can help w/ sarcopenia as well.

https://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/guide/osteoporosis-exercise

Also on the lower side of intervention, not everyone needs every test & treatment. Important to consider the risk vs. benefit ratio.

The good news is, many can find something they like, from the recommended exercises.

I see so many elderly women in the ED with hip & humerus/arm fractures, I wonder how many could have been prevented - even with just more weight bearing exercise.

I disagree that is a name looking for disease. We have better technology in imaging in bone density scans in the past 15 years or so, and it was unable to be diagnosed until it was too late when someone has a fracture. There are athletes and dancers that have osteopenia and osteoporosis, stress fractures due to intense training and poor nutrition which shuts down their menstrual cycles. Yes, this shouldn't happen in this day and age but it does. There are also women in their 30's and 40's who get hooked on running/triathlons and end up getting osteopenia/osteoprosis as well. If you have early menopause, you are also at risk at a younger age.

In addition to Vitamin D and Calcium, I also take Strontium and Vitamin K2 (MK7). I also took Evista (raloxifene), which is primarily prescribed to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer in post menopausal women. But it has the additional effect of reducing osteoporosis. My sister recommended it; she took it in place of Fosamax, etc. because these drugs can irritate the esophagus.

I just stopped taking the Evista because after about seven years of taking the above, I no longer have osteoporosis or osteopenia. I will be re-checked in two years to see whether I have maintained my bone strength.

I don't take a lot of supplemental calcium because I get calcium in my food. But the calcium I take is calcium hydroxyapatite, which is said to be a better source of calcium. I take Jarrows Bone Up, 3 capsules a day (instead of the 6 they recommend).

Bone-Up also contains MK-7, but I take an addition amount of it. And I take the strontium at a different time of day from the calcium.

Oh indeed! How many elderly women & men have lost mobility or entered rapid decline after a broken hip? A simple fall can be a death sentence for many who have become frail due to bone & muscle loss.

When my doctor reviewed my latest bone density tests with me she focused on what the results meant as far as my chances of breaking bones, which are low, despite being diagnosed with osteopenia.

Use of the World Health Organization "FRAX" tool calculates the 10-year probability of fracture.

Many of these posts are confusing osteopenia with osteoporosis! No one is saying that osteoporosis is not a real condition. Whether to treat it or not, should be a joint decision between one and ones doctor. I have chosen not to treat my osteoporosis and my doctor is very comfortable with my decision. I tried Fosomax when I was first diagnosed - could not take it due to my GERD. We have talked about the once or twice yearly injection, but I seem to be the poster child for adverse reactions to drugs. I take a LOT of meds for my pulmonary condition, and one med for my GERD. I'm very reluctant to add another drug to my "witches brew", especially one that lasts for 6 months or one year - if one has an adverse reaction, it's not just a matter of stopping the drug - great harm can be done. I have no risk factors with my osteoporosis and while both my parents had this, no one ever had a break and my father fell constantly. If I have a fracture, I might well revisit this choice, but for now, I'm comfortable with it as is my doctor.