Osteoporosis and Fractures in Postmenopausal Women Using Estrogen

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Abstract
OSTEOPOROSIS IS an enormous public health problem that most often affects postmenopausal women. Half of all postmenopausal women will have an osteoporosis-related fracture during their lives, including 25% who will develop a vertebral deformity1 and 15% who will have a hip fracture.2 Fracture rates are higher in older women than in similarly aged men, and approximately 80% of the economic burden of osteoporosis has been attributed to its occurrence in women.3 The sex difference in fracture incidence may have several explanations, but postmenopausal reduction in estrogen levels and resulting bone loss has long been considered a major factor. The evidence linking estrogen deficiency and accelerated bone loss is unequivocal, and bone loss in the early postmenopausal period undoubtedly contributes to the increase in fractures occurring later in life.