Bone Health

Keeping your bones healthy throughout your life is very important—particularly if you've had breast cancer, since recent research shows that some breast cancer treatments can lead to bone loss. You may start out with strong bones, or you may already have osteoporosis. Other factors in your life, such as early menopause, growing older, and being physically inactive, can also affect your bones. So it's essential to choose the best treatment against the cancer and the best plan to keep your bones strong.

For these reasons, it's important to get your bone health tested as soon as you can and find out everything you can do to protect your bones during and after treatment. In the following pages of the Bone Health section, you can learn about:

• Bone Health Find out why bones are so important and how they change as we age or go through breast cancer treatment.
• Bone Basics Learn how bones lose and build their strength, and what happens to bones as we grow older.
• Causes of Bone Loss Find out all the personal and medical factors in your life that can lead to bone loss.
• Measuring Bone Health Understand the ways bone strength is measured through radiology (DEXA scan), and by blood and urine tests.
• Breast Cancer Treatment and Bone Loss Learn about the impact of chemotherapy, hormonal therapies, and other treatments on your bone strength.
• Monitoring Your Bones for Lifelong Bone Health Understand the types and schedule of tests to assess your bone health well beyond treatment.
• Lifestyle Choices to Keep Bones Strong Learn about the healthy choices you can make at home, work, and around town to keep your bones strong.
• Nutrition Choices to Keep Bones Strong Find out what foods to buy and safe ways to maintain a good weight relative to your bone health.
• Calcium, Vitamin D, and Other Supplements Learn about the importance of daily vitamin and mineral supplementation to help strengthen your bones.
• Bone-Strengthening Medications Identify the most effective bone-building medicines to protect your bones.
• Bone-Building Treatment That's Right For YOU Create an action plan with your doctor.
• If You Have OsteoporosisFind out the best ways to rebuild your bone strength, measure your progress along the way, stand tall, and reduce your risk of falling.

This section was made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from AstraZeneca.