The harsh reality of osteoporosis setting in after menopause can get uglier as it proves capable of causing permanent disability, deformity, and death. It may not break a woman’s heart, but it will surely break her bones.

The incidence of osteoporosis is reportedly increasing worldwide, with the Philippine National Statistics Office reporting over nine million Filipino women aged 50 and above already stricken with the disease. The numbers may even go higher if undiagnosed women were to go through a regular bone screening.

Post-menopausal women are the most vulnerable to osteoporosis. This results in the breakdown of old bone tissues at a rate faster than their replacement by new ones. The bone loss may reach three to five percent annually during the first five to six years after menopause.

However, it is impossible to see or feel the loss of bone mass such that people don’t realize they have osteoporosis until it has become severe or, in many cases, when an already porous bone eventually breaks.

Other indications of osteoporosis are shrinking height, curve in the back, sloping shoulders, back pain, and protruding abdomen. But these happen when someone already has osteoporosis for a long period of time, during which her bones become gradually thinner until the spine collapses, and the wrists, hip and other skeletal parts of the body are now highly susceptible to fracture even at the slightest strain, pressure or impact.

Fortunately, there are now a number of therapeutic medications for osteoporosis called bisphosphonates (e.g. ibandronate).

Results of an international study show, however, that most patients abandon the treatment within a year because of the cumbersome daily or weekly schedule of medication, which is difficult to follow over a long period of time, especially when it induces nausea, dizziness, and other after-effects, and requires sitting still for a certain period of time after drinking.

A related survey conducted in January-April 2005 by IPSOS UK, shows that "up to 60 percent of patients who take once-weekly bisphosphonate and nearly 80 percent who take a once-daily bisphosphonate discontinue treatment within a year."

A study trial in osteoporosis results was also presented at the Sixth European Congress on Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ECCEO). The study examined the treatment preferences of 321 women with postmenopausal osteoporosis. Of the 93 percent (299) who expressed a preference, 70.6 percent preferred treatment with once-monthly bisphosphonate and 76.6 percent found it more convenient than a weekly therapy.

A growing evidence demonstrates that patients who do not adhere to their bisphosphonate medication are more likely to have fractures which not only have a significant impact on their quality of life but also lead to increased cost of hospitalization and medical services.

Fears often spring from lack of information about osteoporosis and options on how to effectively battle whatever it is that causes them. And with the wealth of knowledge now existing about osteoporosis and the availability of new advances in less frequent dosing regimen, such as the first and only once-monthly oral bisphosphonate (i.e. ibandronate), leads to simplicity in compliance. Women should consult their doctor on recent new advances in osteoporosis treatment. As a result they will have more freedom to enjoy life and will be more adequately armed to conquer their worst fears.