My 33-year old niece was just told she has osteoporosis. She's seven months pregnant. What could be causing this in someone so young? I'm 55 and don't have it and neither does my sister (her mother) who is two years older than me.
Osteoporosis or thinning of the bones during pregnancy isn't unheard of but it is unusual. Only a handful of cases have been reported. The only real risk factor that we can see is the pregnancy itself.
Even though her mother and maternal aunt don't have this problem, it's possible there is a genetic link. This hasn't been studied or proven yet. It seems most likely that chemical and hormonal changes in some women during pregnancy may be the source of the problem.
Yet there's another group of people affected most often by transient osteoporosis and that's middle-aged men. Obviously these men are not pregnant so the hormonal and chemical changes in their body must be different from women during pregnancy. Transient osteoporosis describes a condition that goes away on its own.
Bone pain and fractures are possible with this condition. The most effective treatment remains unknown. More study is needed to help find the cause and prevent transient osteoporosis.
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