{"id":731673,"date":"2026-06-28T21:15:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T21:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/731673\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T21:15:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T21:15:10","slug":"vital-menopause-therapy-slashes-low-bone-density-risk-by-69","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/731673\/","title":{"rendered":"Vital menopause therapy slashes low bone density risk by 69%"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some women sail through menopause<\/a>, but many others struggle with the accompanying hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue and osteoporosis, or weakening of bones.<\/p>\n

And while half the population goes through it, many women are still reluctant to use a common treatment that can provide relief from these symptoms.<\/p>\n

But new research suggests this vital therapy could significantly improve bone density \u2014 a crucial health factor for aging women.<\/p>\n

\"YoungWhile many women are reluctant to use it, a vital menopause therapy could significantly reduce the risk of bone loss. Graphicroyalty \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

While once used routinely, increased concerns of breast and ovarian cancer caused many menopausal women to avoid hormone replacement therapy<\/a> (HRT.)<\/p>\n

Later studies have shown the benefits outweigh the risks, including recent research on the effects of HRT on bone health.<\/p>\n

Presented Sunday at ENDO 2026<\/a>, the Endocrine Society\u2019s annual meeting in Chicago, a study found that women on hormonal therapy have a decreased risk of low bone mineral density compared to those not using it.<\/p>\n

Of 387 postmenopausal women who underwent DEXA scans<\/a> to measure bone density between 2021 and 2025, 33% used hormonal therapy, while the other 67% did not.<\/p>\n

Those taking HRT had a 69% less risk of low bone mineral density in their spine and hip, two areas where older women frequently experience fractures<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Those who don\u2019t use hormonal therapy have a greater chance of developing osteoporosis<\/a>, which can lead to more fractures or breaks and disability.<\/p>\n

\"AHormone replacement therapy was shown to reduce the risk of bone density loss by 69% in postmenopausal women. DragonImages \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n

\u201cThis study revisits that narrative and shows that menopausal hormone therapy may have an important added benefit: protecting bone health,\u201d lead study author Diego Espinoza-Peralta, vice president of the Mexican Society of Nutrition and Endocrinology, said in a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat shifts the conversation from \u2018avoid if possible\u2019 to \u2018reconsider in the right patient\u2019,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The findings were the same even after researchers took into account the age of participants, how long they\u2019d been in menopause, vitamin D levels, smoking and other health conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn simple terms: menopausal hormone therapy appears to independently protect bones, not just by coincidence,\u201d Espinoza-Peralta said.<\/p>\n

While the findings are a boon to supporting the use of HRT, they\u2019re not completely unexpected, as older research<\/a> found that therapy users had a 34% reduction in hip fractures and an overall 30% reduction in fractures.<\/p>\n

Despite the bone benefits, many doctors are still split on prescribing this type of treatment to menopausal women, as it may be great for some, but not all.<\/p>\n

Although not a magic bullet, HRT can provide relief for several symptoms, easing joint pain and improving sleep and hot flashes.<\/p>\n

However, it also brings a very real risk of cancer, as the Menopause Society says women can use estrogen therapy<\/a> for seven years and estrogen-progestogen therapy for three to five years before the risk increases.<\/p>\n

The research team behind the study, though, still believe their findings could offer older women relief and protection from bone loss.<\/p>\n

\u201cClinicians may begin to weigh its benefits more carefully, especially in women early after menopause, potentially improving long-term health and quality of life,\u201d Espinoza-Peralta said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some women sail through menopause, but many others struggle with the accompanying hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":731674,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[4528,6262,97,5446,24295,3284,37164],"class_list":["post-731673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-womens-health","tag-bones","tag-health","tag-hormones","tag-menopause","tag-study-says","tag-therapy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=731673"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/731673\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/731674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=731673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=731673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=731673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}