Medical Evaluation

Your doctor will do a comprehensive medical assessment, including your family history. The doctor will look for signs of advanced osteoporosis such as a dowager's hump or bones that break easily.

You may also need a bone mineral density (BMD) test to measure bone density in the spine, wrist and/or hip. These are the most common sites of fracture due to osteoporosis. Other tests measure bone in the heel or hand. The tests are painless, noninvasive and safe.

If tests indicate a loss of bone density, your doctor may recommend that you take medications to help prevent further bone loss, in addition to calcium and vitamin D supplements. Talk to your doctor about when and how often you should be screened for osteoporosis.

More on Osteoporosis

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This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.