Find out how osteoporosis affects your sexual health.
Your body is constantly absorbing and replacing bone tissue. But when you have osteoporosis, bone creation slows down and can't keep up with the constant removal.
Around 10 million Americans have osteoporosis, but at least four times that number should still worry about bone health, especially as there are no symptoms of the disease, sometimes until a bone has been fractured.
Osteoporosis is a bone disease that appears when bone quality or structure deteriorates, bone mineral density declines or when bone mass decreases. These occurrences may result in an elevated risk of fractures (broken bones). In fact, the main cause of fractures in older men and postmenopausal women is osteoporosis.
While any bone can break, hip, spine and wrist vertebrae are the most commonly fractured bones in patients with osteoporosis.
Known as a "silent disease," osteoporosis often shows no symptoms until a bone fracture, commonly involving a vertebrae. Symptoms of a vertebral fracture include loss of height, severe back pain and a hunched posture.
If you have a hormonal disorder, you may be at a greater risk of developing osteoporosis.
Hormonal disorders that can trigger osteoporosis include:
Factors that increase your risk for osteoporosis include:
Sex. Your chances of developing osteoporosis are greater if you are a woman.
Your medical history, a physical examination and a bone mineral density test are used to determine whether you have osteoporosis.
The bone density test looks for indications that bone mineralization has abnormally decreased using a type of medical imaging that involves X-rays. The findings culminate in a "T-score," which is based on a comparison with the "normal" bone density of a similar person in the general population. Your doctor gives you an osteoporosis diagnosis if your T-score is -2.5 or less.
In general, the higher your T-score, the healthier your bones are.
Your doctor may prescribe medications to help strengthen your bones, such as:
New monoclonal antibody treatments are also available. They act to primarily help in the bone- building process and, to a lesser degree, slow resorption.
Diet changes are one way to potentially prevent osteoporosis. A calcium-rich diet can help maintain healthy bone density as you age. Foods high in calcium include soybeans, cheese, yogurt, sardines and collard greens. Exercising and maintaining a healthy weight can also help keep your bones strong.
Refraining from smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can also help prevent osteoporosis. Tobacco and alcohol both inhibit the process of bone reformation and overall healing. In addition to cardio activities like walking, incorporate strength training into your routine. These exercises help stimulate bone-building cells.
A doctor can order special screening exams such as a DEXA scan, which can help quantify the density of your bones and guide the doctor's prevention advice.
Exercise can reduce your risk of suffering life-threatening injuries as a result of osteoporosis. It’s important to talk with your doctor about what exercises are right for you, because you want to identify safe exercises that can help strengthen your bones and improve your balance.
Weight-bearing exercises are critical for good bone health, but that doesn't have to mean weightlifting. Walking is an effective way to preserve bone mass in the lower body. For upper-body exercises, wall pushups, biceps curls and chair dips are very beneficial.
Having osteoporosis doesn't mean you can't have sex. However, it's important to take precautions as the disease puts you at higher risk for bone fractures.
To reduce the risk during sex, consider the following:
Be creative. Intimacy is more than just having intercourse. Kissing, touching, oral sex and mutual masturbation are enjoyable and put significantly less pressure on the bones.
Know your limitations. Your partner needs to know your areas of pain. Some sex positions could cause too much pressure and even severe injury.
Use pillows. Cushions and pillows can provide added comfort and support during sexual activity.
Find the right positions for you. Some sex positions are more or less comfortable than others. When the penetrating partner is on top (missionary), for example, it can place too much pressure on the receiving partner's hips. A more comfortable position may be with the receptive partner on top.
Low testosterone (low-T) is significantly correlated with a decline in bone density. The cells that create bones—osteoblasts—require testosterone to be stimulated. The cells known as osteoclasts—which break down bone—are suppressed by estrogen. When the body is unable to regenerate bones as quickly as the cells in those bones are reabsorbed, bone density loss occurs, which may result in osteoporosis.
According to a number of studies, men with erectile dysfunction (ED)—the consistent inability to get and keep an erection during sex—are more likely to develop osteoporosis.
One study looked at more than 4,000 Taiwanese patients 40 years of age or older diagnosed with ED over a 15-year period. Patients with ED were found to have an elevated risk of osteoporosis. The researchers determined that ED might function as an early indicator of osteoporosis. Men with ED had an osteoporosis rate that was three times higher than the rate for men who did not have ED.
Women face particularly significant concerns about bone loss during and after menopause. Osteoporosis risk rises and bone loss is greatly accelerated during menopause. According to research, osteoporosis affects roughly 1 in 10 women older than age 60 worldwide and can cause up to 20 percent of bone loss during these phases.
Osteoporosis affects 1 in 2 postmenopausal women, the majority of whom fracture a bone at some point in their lifetime. Broken bones, or fractures, result in discomfort and a reduction in function. Fractures are linked to a lower quality of life and a higher mortality rate.
Osteoporosis is a potentially serious disease because it's linked to lower life expectancy. The risk of a hip fracture is especially significant and can dramatically change the quality of your life.
Women have a greater risk of osteoporosis compared to men, but all bone breaks carry the risk of serious complications, especially in older people.
Here are some early warning indicators of osteoporosis to look out for:
Brittle nails. If you frequently lament having brittle nails that chip or break easily, it may be a sign that your disulfide bonds need to be reinforced. The disulfide linkages in your bones might be similarly weakened. You may also need to increase your calcium intake if you have weak nails or vertical ridges on your nails.
Receding gums. If your jaw is losing bone, your gums may recede. Ask your dentist to check for jaw bone loss.
Weaker grip strength. Low bone mineral density has been associated with poor hand grip strength. Additionally, a weaker grasp can increase your chance of falls.
Osteoporosis progresses through various stages, the first two of which behave more like the early signs of the disease. You can endure pain, frequent fractures or breaks, or even abnormalities due to bone loss in the final two stages. The majority of people don't even realize they have a problem until they break or fracture a bone.
Here are the four stages of osteoporosis:
Stage I
Your bones grow more quickly than they degrade while you're young. Bone resorption and new bone formation eventually achieve equilibrium in your 20s and 30s, meaning you lose and make bone at the same pace. Since the rate of bone creation is no longer greater than the rate of bone loss, this might be seen as the onset of osteoporosis.
Stage II
The second stage of osteoporosis is similarly difficult to detect. Although it can start later in life, it usually begins after the age of 35. Old bone is broken down a little more quickly than new bone is developing at this stage. Bone density tests can detect this quicker rate of resorption, but because your bones' strength has not decreased, they are not much more likely to fracture. Fewer tests are run as a result and, therefore, fewer cases are found.
Stage III
At this stage, you're at a higher risk for fractures since your bone loss considerably outweighs your bone growth. You probably won't have any further symptoms during this period unless you break a bone.
Stage IV
This is the most severe form of osteoporosis. Aside from bone breaks, this is the only stage where you might actually notice bone loss. The weakening of your bones can cause deformities and pain.
