Learn how to reduce your risk of lumbar disc degeneration after menopause
Many women choose to struggle through the unpleasant symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, and mood swings, knowing that eventually these symptoms will abate. But other issues related to menopausal hormonal changes won’t just go away on their own, and do deserve to be addressed. The risk of back pain is one of them.
According to a study recently published in the journal Menopause, the loss of estrogen that occurs at menopause is associated with a risk for lumbar disc degeneration, which causes lower back pain.
The study compared age-matched groups of men and women and found interesting differences in the risk of disc degeneration among the sexes at different ages. At younger ages, men were more vulnerable. But after menopause, women became more vulnerable, with the most drastic difference in risk appearing in the first 15 years after the onset of menopause.
The link between disc generation and estrogen deficiency had already been established in previous research. This makes sense, because low estrogen at any age can contribute to osteoporosis in women.
How to Enhance Bone Strength After Menopause
Whether you are currently experiencing menopause symptoms or you are already post-menopausal, it’s not too late to take steps to help promote bone health and hopefully reduce your risk of disc degeneration and back pain.
- Get Estrogen Therapy: Estrogen is absolutely essential for healthy bones. It helps control the cells that break down bone tissue, while encouraging the cells that make new bone. At Renew Youth, we offer safe and effective estrogen replacement therapy that also includes measures to adjust other bone-protective hormones like progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA.
- Control Cortisol: The stress hormone cortisol is very damaging to all systems in the body, including bone. We can test your cortisol levels and provide treatment for high cortisol as needed.
- Supplement: Calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D are all essential for building healthy bones. Since it can be difficult to get all the nutrition you need from your diet (or from sun exposure in the case of vitamin D), we recommend taking a quality daily multivitamin to help promote healthy bones.
- Exercise: Weight-bearing exercises are very important for helping to maintain bone mass and muscle mass.
To learn more about options for osteoporosis treatment during and after menopause, please contact us at 800-859-7511.