Osteoporosis screening age
Also called: when to get first DXA, screening guidelines bone density
What it means
Osteoporosis screening age is the age when doctors generally recommend your first bone density (DEXA) scan to check for osteoporosis before a fracture occurs.
Knowing when to get screened helps catch bone loss early, before a fall or fracture forces the issue.
Screening for osteoporosis typically means getting a DEXA scan (a bone density scan) to check your bone strength before any fracture happens. For most women, standard guidelines recommend starting routine screening at age 65. For men, there isn't as firm a universal age, but many clinicians consider screening around age 70, or earlier if there are risk factors.
If you have things that raise your risk earlier, like early or surgical menopause, long-term steroid use, a parent with a hip fracture, low body weight, smoking, heavy alcohol use, certain autoimmune or digestive diseases, or a fragility fracture as an adult, your doctor may recommend a DXA scan well before 65 or 70. Tools like FRAX can help estimate your personal 10-year fracture risk and guide timing.
The exact right age for your first scan depends on your personal and family health history, so it's worth asking your doctor whether earlier screening makes sense for you. They can weigh your risk factors and decide the right time, and how often to repeat the scan afterward.
Knowing the right age for a first DEXA scan helps catch bone loss early, before a fracture happens.
Where this leads
WordScreening age tells you when to get your first scan. Curious what the DEXA scan actually measures and how it's reported.
Related words
A DEXA scan is a low-radiation X-ray test that measures how much mineral is in your hip and spine bones, giving you…
FRAX is a free online tool that calculates your 10-year probability of having a major osteoporotic fracture or hip…
A T-score shows how your bone density compares to a healthy young adult, measured in standard deviations, and it's…
A fragility fracture is a broken bone caused by a fall or bump that normally wouldn't break a healthy bone, often at…
A family history of osteoporosis means a close blood relative, like a parent or sibling, has had osteoporosis or a…
Early menopause is when a woman's periods stop before age 45, earlier than the usual age range for menopause.
Education only, not medical advice. Decisions about tests, medications and treatment belong with your own doctor. OsteoStrong does not diagnose, treat or cure any disease.
