It is taught to us that osteoporosis is only an issue for once we enter menopause, when in fact it is something we should be preparing ourselves starting in our early 20’s- or even younger if you’ve lost your period
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First off, what is osteoporosis? It is a disorder in which is characterized by low bone mass and a deterioration of bone tissue, which could leave one susceptible to fractures. As we age, many factors come into play that corner many women into a situation where their bones are at risk such as a slower metabolism that menopause can trigger
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However, with in the case of amenorrhea, the loss of one’s menstrual cycle, a couple of things occur:
1️⃣ Bones can start breaking down and leaching calcium out of the bones because the body may be lacking nutrients, particularly minerals. Whether one is restricting food or not, if the body is under stress, it will require more minerals than usual- particularly magnesium, calcium, boron, silica, phosphorus, etc. In many cases though, amenorrhea can be a sign of malnutrition or under eating, thus resulting in poor bone maintenance. In our fertile years, we are building bone mass until the age of 30, thus if we don’t nourish ourselves well enough, we are at risk of developing irreversible damage
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2️⃣Speaking on stress, if there’s too much, our body increases the production of osteoclasts (bone breakdown) versus osteoblasts (bone building). Again, even if it isn’t food restriction, this stress can be connected to over exercise or even emotional stress. This is why mental health is JUST as important as your physical health
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3️⃣With amenorrhea, it’s not so much an estrogen/progesterone issue, but rather a HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal) issue. This means your body is just not getting the signal it needs to feel safe enough to produce adequate hormones. It is conserving energy for other mechanisms rather than allowing you to be fertile. When one has HPA axis dysfunction, this also slows one’s metabolic rate, affecting more than just sex hormones, but thyroid, liver, and gut as well