I think my Mom might have osteoporosis--how can I tell for sure?

You're so welcome. (I understand about summertime!) Hang in there with your concern for her even if it's a slightly uncomfortable conversation. It may be the best slightly uncomfortable conversation she ever had!

Thank you Diane for your help with this. I'm sorry I took so long to get back to you; I'm a stay at home Mom and summertime is way crazy with my kids. The reason I think my Mom will freak is that she's kind of a hypochondriac about things. I feel bad saying that but it's true. She does have regular checkups, probably way more than most people because of this tendency. And maybe this is one thing her doc did check her for but she didn't tell me about. I kind of doubt it though as she talks health stuff so much with me. But I will talk to her like you suggested and talk about the TV ads. She likes her shows so I think she will have seen those commercials. I will do my best to come back and let you know what she says. Thank you for the Mayo Clinic information. That is something I can show her too.

Hi, Anon, and welcome to EmpowHer. Thanks so much for your question. We're glad you found us!!

Let me echo what Anon2 said, above: You are lovely to worry about your mom. Why do you think she would freak out if she found out she had osteoporosis? She might be glad for a diagnosis, since there are medicines that can help. And she might not even realize that she's stooping over. Do you think she's aware of it?

First, let's get you some information on osteoporosis itself. Here's the Mayo Clinic page on it; be sure to notice the links down the left side that take you to pages for Symptoms, Treatment and etc:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/osteoporosis/DS00128

Does your mom have regular doctor's appointments, or annual checkups? Perhaps you could tell her that you've seen the commercials on television about osteoporosis and ask her if she's been checked for that? If she says something like "No, why?" you should just mention that she seems to not be standing up quite as straight lately and that you'd hate her to go without treatment if it's possible she has this.

You want your mom tall and strong into her 80s and 90s and beyond if possible. She needs strong bones to do that. So if it is a little uncomfortable, for either you or her, I want to encourage you to push on through that and encourage her about this. It might be worth a little freaking out to get her on some medicine -- or more active with exercise -- that will help her stay strong.

Will you come back and update us?

Hi:

Do you know if your mom has had a recent health checkup at a doctor? You might try raising it and asking her if she has been checked for a range of things that can start to effect all of us as we age - blood pressure, cholesterol, bone density, etc. You might also see if she is doing any exercise which is good for all of us at any age!

Bravo to you for caring about your Mom and not wanting to unduly alarm her.