Osteopenia

[VeloVT]

Michelle,

Is my memory correct that you had a post some time ago (6 mos - year ago) about amenorrhea? (It's entirely possible that I' have you mixed up with someone else, so go easy on me if I have!). Do you struggle with eating disorder issues or just have trouble keeping weight on? All of these concerns (irregular periods, very low BMI, bone density issues) can be interrelated, so maybe that's worth exploring with your physician?

There was a special section in the NY TImes a few days ago about health as we age. One of the articles was about healthy bones... it mentioned that bone density is in fact not necessarily the only/best indicator of risk/heath, it's just the easiest one to measure... you might find that article interesting, maybe worth checking out to see if it's on the website?

I worry about bone density too. I have never had eating disorders and my BMI bounces between about 19-21, so I've never been "underweight" either... but I've been on Depo Provera for going on 6 years now, starting when I was 23 (when I should have still been adding bone density). I had a scan done when I was 25 -- the measurement at my hip was like, in the 99th percentile of what I "should" have had, but the spine measurement was borderline osteopenic... Doctors didn't seem to be concerned with this at the time, but I wonder... The medication works really well for me for a variety of reasons, and I don't really see an alternative that is equally appealing (though I did just switch to the new low-dose version), but I sympathise with your concern.

I wish you the best of luck.