200 - Osteoporosis: how to protect your bones during menopause and beyond

Bone density for women can plummet around the time of the perimenopause and menopause.

An estimated one in two women over 50 (and who do not take HRT) worldwide will develop osteoporosis. This puts women at high risk of bone fractures, which can have a major impact on health and wellbeing.

Here Chicago-based Dr Kristi DeSapri, who specialises in bone health, joins Dr Louise Newson to talk about what can increase the risk of your bones becoming weak, the role of hormonal changes in this and what to do about it.

Hear what the latest research says about the valuable role that HRT can play in protecting bones to keep you fit and strong in the future.

Dr DeSapri shares her top three tips for listeners worried about their bone health:

1. Find out how healthy your bones are and whether you could be at risk of fractures.  This could include booking a bone density scan, or completing free online assessments and taking that information to your doctor
2. Increasing evidence suggests HRT can help protect bone health, so consider this treatment option to keep your bones strong
3. Find out about the importance of bone health so that you can be your own advocate - make sure you have the right information to make the right decisions.

You can follow Dr DeSapri on Instagram @boneandbodywh. Her website is www.boneandbodywh.com