Alice discusses the link between her hysterectomy and her osteoporosis.
Alice:
Because I had a hysterectomy, that was a direct link to my osteoporosis. It is, according to the National Institute of Health the number one cause of osteoporosis in women. I also had all the other causes: family history. My mother and my grandmother both had it.
I knew my grandmother had osteoporosis because she had a fractured hip and my mother had that hunched, stooped over back. I did not realize though that a lack of calcium-enriched diet, I was not physically active growing up. I was small-boned and Caucasian and all of those are risk factors and every one of them could be checked off.
But again, a hysterectomy is the number one cause, especially if you do not take estrogen replacement following the surgery with the removal of your ovaries. If you have your ovaries you are still in good shape. In my case they were removed and so therefore that was my number one downfall.
Today if I knew then what I know now I probably would not have been able to tolerate the estrogen replacement, but I would have concentrated more on weight-bearing exercise, calcium-enriched diet, making sure I took calcium supplements with vitamin D because you need vitamin D to absorb the calcium. I would have paid more attention to my lifestyle and the factors that can be used in prevention or slowing down the, if the onset has begun.
View More Videos On Osteoporosis:
https://www.empowher.com/condition/osteoporosis
Add a Comment1 Comments
Alice, I agree, weight bearing exercise and vitamin D are good ways to slow down the development of osteoporosis after hysterectomy. Did you read the new book about hysterectomy, THE H WORD? It would really help any woman who's been told she needs a hysterectomy to understand what the alternatives are, and the life long consequences, like increased risk of heart disease and loss of sexual feeling.
August 11, 2009 - 6:17amThis Comment