Consequences: An Early Warning of Bone Loss

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http://www.nytimes.com/2002/06/04/health/womenshealth/04CONS.html

Consequences: An Early Warning of Bone Loss

By ERIC NAGOURNEY

Irregular periods in young woman may signal a hormonal problem that can lead to severe bone loss years down the road, a new study warns.

Yet the study, which appears in Obstetrics and Gynecology, says that doctors often fail to take the warning signs seriously, putting women at unnecessary risk for the disabling bone disease osteoporosis.

 


 

The report was prepared by researchers for the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and it focused on women with premature ovarian failure.

Women who have the condition stop producing eggs and reproductive hormones even though they are nowhere near the age of menopause. It affects about 1 percent of American women by age 40.

Earlier research has shown a connection between premature ovarian failure and bone loss that can lead to osteoporosis. The new study suggests a connection between irregular periods and premature ovarian failure and says that doctors need to be more vigilant when young women tell them they often miss their periods.

"We think the menstrual cycle should be viewed as a vital sign, just as if your blood pressure's too high or your temperature's too high," said the senior author of the study, Dr. Lawrence Nelson.

Instead, the study found, many women do not consider that missing their periods for three months or more — the definition of amenorrhea — is significant. This can mean that years go by before the condition is diagnosed.

In most cases, irregular periods do not mean a woman has premature ovarian failure. But since a delayed diagnosis of the condition can mean that bone loss goes undetected, the researchers suggest that doctors err on the side of caution. The condition can be treated with hormones.

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