Osteoporosis age 30 - anyone else diagnosed young?

[AliceThroughTheLookingGlass]

I've been told today that my bone density falls into the osteoporosis category. I'm only 30!

I'm allergic to milk and not brilliant at remembering to take my calcium supplements, so was expecting to be told my bone density wasn't great, but was definitely not expecting it to be this bad.

Anyone else been diagnosed young and does anyone have any useful tips on improving bone density and bone health without medication. Apparently I'm not a candidate for medication yet as I'm so young (relatively speaking!) and my family is not complete yet.

Didn't want to read and run. I have a condition that puts me at risk of developing osteoporosis. There are non-milk milks e.g. Koko, Almond, Oat which have added calcium. Have a look at the Osteoporosis Society for prevention. Also doing weight bearing exercise.

Thanks. Yes, I already use oat milk which gives me some calcium intake but clearly it hasn't been enough and I've just signed up with a personal trainer to get some sort of exercise programme in place. I guess the advantage of finding out now is that I can mitigate it as much as possible, rather than later when the chance to rebuild bone is even harder!

Weight lifting is excellent for bone density. I have lupus and take silly amounts of steroids and other stuff which makes me prone, so have looked for advice too. Lifting weights comes out as the best form of exercise for it. May be worth looking into.

My sister was diagnosed aged 33. I was diagnosed aged 39. No other advice other than to do weight bearing exercise.

Contact the Royal Osteoporosis Society- helplines and loads of info on their website. There are medications you could take and age is not really the issue if you have severe bone loss. There are women your age using them.

How were you diagnosed and are you under a specialist?

Thanks @PortraitOfAWoman I'm currently waiting on further tests to check for underlying causes. I was diagnosed after a DEXA scan and the rheumatologist that reviewed and diagnosed said I wasn't a candidate for therapeutics at the moment primarily due to age. This was all relayed through my GP though, so I'm hoping at some point I'll be able to discuss with a specialist and get some clarification.

They need to find out the reason for your bone loss.

@AliceThroughTheLookingGlass can I ask why you had bone density scans in the first place? Did you have symptoms that needed investigation? I’m concerned I may be in a similar boat, but wasn’t sure if I would be taken seriously also being relatively young.

Hi @Biscusting. It was suggested at an appointment with my GP while I was pregnant last year. I have a history of low BMI and obviously the lack of dairy too. The GP questioned why my bone density hadn't been checked when I was in treatment for the low BMI and coupled with hyperemesis during pregnancy (so dropping to a very low BMI and very poor diet) strongly suggested I had it checked once my baby was born. I also badly broke a toe in the summer which spurred me to request the referral.

I was diagnosed with osteopoenia after bone density scans (so not quite osteoporosis yet) and I have been told to run.

I don't know if that is appropriate for osteoporosis though so I would get some expert advice first!

Thanks for replying @AliceThroughTheLookingGlass, can I also be very nosey and ask what your BMI was/is? You sound like me. I also think I have a broken toe that happened over the summer, and it’s still not healed. I don’t plan on seeking treatment with Covid around and all that! But if it is a break, it’s not deformed or anything, so won’t need treating I think.

Sorry to hear you had such a rough time through pregnancy.

@Biscusting at it's worst during pregnancy around 15 (although they don't actually calculate it as it's inaccurate during pregnancy so I just put in my lowest weight and height). I managed to get back to a healthy BMI by the end of pregnancy but with the stresses of this year I'm hovering around 17, which is the same as when I sought treatment previously.

Regarding the toe, mine took about 8 weeks to be comfortable but it was completely misaligned and had to be put back in place. I don't know how GPs are operating in your area but ours are doing telephone/video appointments, so if it has been a while since you think you broke it and it's still not healed I'd definitely have a conversation with them.

@Europilgrim thanks, from what I've read it's recommended, but depends on the severity of osteoporosis. The key things seem to be weight bearing and resistance exercise. I'm starting with a personal trainer who has worked with a few people with osteoporosis so I'm hoping we can get a good programme in place. The PT said she was surprised by how many premenopausal women have had a diagnosis of osteopoenia/osteoporosis.