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What does it mean?

Doctors often use long words, but it’s not just for show. Mostly they're a combination of medical terms that link different conditions together. So 'osteo-' is anything to do with bones, and '-porosis' means porous - such as porous rocks, that have tiny channels water can get through. So ostéoporose is basically 'thinning' of the bones.

Your bones aren't solid. They're made up of a network of tough connective tissue, called collagen, and minerals - mostly calcium. They're also not static, in fact, they're being broken down and built up all the time. That's why bones heal when you break them.

When you're growing, the building up happens faster than the breaking down, and then the two balance each other. But once you're over about 40, bony material starts being reabsorbed faster than it's laid down. As a woman, this process speeds up further once you go through the menopause.

This means your bones become less dense and less strong, making you prone to breaks from minor falls. The older you are, the greater the likelihood. You could break a hip or a wrist by tripping over from standing height. And the bones in your spine can also collapse with minor trauma, causing severe ongoing pain.

Even though most people don't start losing bone density until their 40s, you should be thinking about protecting your bones, whatever your age. Actually, if you're old enough to read this, you should have been protecting them for years! The stronger your bones are in your early 30s, when they're at peak density, the more bone you have to lose without them becoming susceptible. That's one of the reasons men are less likely than women to sustain an osteoporosis-related fracture - their bones are more dense to start with.

Women lose bone quicker than men do, especially after the ménopause, so you're more likely to break a bone due to osteoporosis if you're a woman. Two thirds of osteoporosis fractures are in women past the menopause. The female hormone oestrogen offers some protection, so your vulnerability increases if you went through the menopause early - under 45 - or are underweight because of conditions such as the eating disorder anorexie, which lowers your oestrogen.

Osteoporosis often runs in families, so a parent/brother/sister with osteoporosis - or a hip fracture - means your chance is higher too. So does having had a fracture after a minor fall yourself. Having the joint issues polyarthrite rhumatoïde ou spondylarthrite ankylosante, or bowel conditions such as maladie de Crohn - that can affect absorption of vital nutrients - also make you more prone.

If you have a broken bone from a minor fall, or if your doctor thinks you're vulnerable, they'll refer you for a bone scan. This quick and completely painless procedure is similar to an Xray, usually of your hip and spine. It tells your doctor whether your bones are normal or a bit thin (osteopenia), or whether you have osteoporosis.

If you've broken a bone and have osteoporosis, or if you have other contributing factors - including being older - your doctor may recommend regular tablets - usually one called alendronate, taken daily or monthly. These can delay the start, or the progression, of osteoporosis. So can THS, although this is usually only given around the menopause.

With thanks to 'My Weekly' where this article was originally published.