A new index can be used to predict which women will experience faster bone loss while transitioning to menopause, according to a study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
To create the new index, called the Bone Balance Index, researchers used data from a cohort of 685 women ages 42 to 52 as they went through menopause. The women were either premenopausal or in early perimenopause when they enrolled in the study, and all participants had their final menstrual period during follow-up.
Urine and blood samples were taken from the women to measure bone turnover markers. The women also had their bone mineral density measured every year.
The investigators combined measurements of bone breakdown and bone formation to determine each woman’s net bone balance before their final menstrual period. The study authors found that compared to a measurement of bone breakdown alone, the Bone Balance Index was a stronger predictor of bone loss from 2 years before the final menstrual period to 3 to 4 years later.