Better Bone Health

After 50, one in two women in the U.S. will break a bone — a fragility fracture from a fall or even a stumble that wouldn’t have caused damage a decade earlier. By age 65, 30% of women already have osteoporosis. And 20–30% of women who break a hip don’t survive the year that follows.

These numbers aren’t meant to scare you. They’re meant to make a point: bone health is something to build now, not after a fracture or after your first DEXA scan in your late 60s. Bone is living tissue. Every day your body is taking it apart and rebuilding it. What you do in your 40s and 50s — the strength training, the nutrition, the hormones — compounds for the rest of your life.

What’s in this guide

Our Better Bone Health patient handout is a two-page reference you can save, print, and bring to your next appointment. Inside:

• The four pillars of bone health — Move, Nourish, Hormones, Screen & plan
• Risk factors you can and can’t change — and what to do with each list
• Conditions and medications that thin bone — with a clear warning to never stop a prescription on your own
• Daily nutrition targets for calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and protein
• Where to actually find calcium in real foods — food-first, with the case for limiting high-dose supplementation
• When to ask about a DEXA scan — and what your T-score means
• An example action plan with steps for today, this week, and your next visit
• Eight peer-reviewed references so you can dig into the evidence yourself

A note on hormones

This handout reflects how we think about bone at Ovella Health: estrogen is queen for bone. Hormone therapy is FDA-approved for fracture prevention. Starting it early and not stopping it without a reason is one of the most powerful interventions available — for women who are candidates. The handout explains where hormones fit alongside strength training, nutrition, lifestyle, and screening.

Download the full PDF below.