Written by Lauren Murphy, SIU School of Medicine
Eight million women in the U.S. have osteoporosis, says the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
It’s what SIU OB-GYN Dr. Casey Younkin describes as a public health problem, especially among aging women. “Half of all women will have a fracture following menopause because of osteoporosis.”
Dr. Younkin recommends that by age 65, every woman have a bone density scan. If women have the risk factors associated with osteoporosis and are post-menopausal, he suggests undergoing an evaluation even sooner.
Are you at risk of developing osteoporosis?

• Are you underweight?
• Do you smoke?
• Do you have a family history of osteoporosis?
• Are you taking steroids?
• Are you Caucasian?
• Are you a post-menopausal female?

If you’ve answered yes to any of the above questions, you should consider scheduling an evaluation with your doctor.
“Evaluation is done with a machine called a Dexa, which is actually a type of x-ray machine,” explains Dr. Younkin. “Many physician offices have these and just about all hospitals have them. It’s a painless test; you just lay on a table and the machine scans the areas of the spine and the hips because those are the critical areas.” Using this test, doctors can determine bone density, which reveals whether a patient has osteoporosis.
I found out I have osteoporosis – what’s next?
Start by scheduling an appointment with a bone health clinic, such as SIU HealthCare’s Bone Health Clinic, which is staffed by OB-GYNs, rheumatologists, orthopaedists and endocrinologists. Specialists can provide primary and secondary fracture prevention, as well as bone fragility treatment and care and education to at-risk patients.
Make an appointment with the SIU Bone Health Clinic by calling 217-545-8000.
Copyright © SIU School of Medicine, Springfield, Illinois