Menopause: Related Conditions

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Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis makes bones brittle and more likely to break. It is more formally defined by the World Health Organization as "low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue, which lead to increased bone fragility and fracture risk." By age 80, women have lost 35 -- 40% of the bone mass they had as young adults. The average age for hip fracture is 80 years. Osteoporotic fractures are extremely common, about 1.5 million cases a year, more common than the combined risk of breast, uterine and ovarian cancer. Of those who fracture a hip, 20% will die within the year, and 30 -- 50% will require nursing home placement or continued help at home. The highest fracture rates occur in white women (two to three times higher than for Asian, Latina or African American women).

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)

CHD is the narrowing of coronary arteries because of spasm or buildup of plaque, which contains cholesterol. This narrowing leads to heart muscle dysfunction or muscle death (heart attack). Although many women are aware of breast cancer as an important cause of death, fewer are aware of the greater prevalence and impact of heart disease in women.

The chart and table below compare death rates among U.S. women from heart disease and breast cancer (data from the National Center for Health Statistics). Death rates for breast cancer are slightly higher than for heart disease among younger women, but in all older age brackets, deaths from heart disease are significantly more common. Overall, three in 10 women die from coronary heart disease, 12 times more than the number of women dying from breast cancer.