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Bone‐mass peak in multiparity and reduced risk of bone‐fractures in menopause
Author(s) -
CureCure C,
CureRamı́rez P,
Terán E,
LópezJaramillo P
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/s0020-7292(01)00583-5
Subject(s) - medicine , osteopenia , osteoporosis , bone mineral , pregnancy , menopause , risk factor , population , peak bone mass , obstetrics , gynecology , environmental health , biology , genetics
Objectives: Pregnancy has been proposed as a risk factor for the development of osteoporosis; however, the results are controversial. Women in Colombia are multiparous, and therefore they represent an ideal population for the investigation of the effect of parity on osteoporosis. Methods: The study included 1855 post‐menopausal Hispanic women from Barranquilla, Colombia who were referred to our osteoporosis clinic for a routine evaluation of their bone mineral status. Bone mineral density (BMD, g/cm 2 ) was measured using dual energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Total body, femoral and lumbar areas were scanned. Results: BMD of total body, hip and legs ( P <0.0001), Ward's area ( P <0.002) and intertrochanteric area ( P <0.003) was high in women with at least one delivery in comparison with nulliparous women. Total mineral and calcium body contents were also high in women after second delivery. A history of fractures was found in 22.9% ( n =425) of the study women. The relative risk for bone‐fractures was high (O.R. 0.41; P <0.2) in nulliparous women in comparison to multiparous women. In addition, osteopenia (O.R. 2.01; P =0.008) and osteoporosis (O.R. 3.99; P =0.0004) were most often present in nulliparous women in comparison to multiparous women. Conclusions: Pregnancies in this population appear to be a protective factor against development of osteoporosis. The increase in total mineral and calcium contents was related to the number of pregnancies, suggesting the existence of a bone mass peak during pregnancy.