Both men and women can have osteoporosis. In women, it’s more common, has an earlier onset, and progresses more quickly. In men, it’s more likely to happen due to an underlying condition and is associated with higher mortality.

Osteoporosis happens when you develop a lower bone mineral density and lower bone mass. The effects of osteoporosis can change the structure of bones and weaken them. This makes people with osteoporosis more prone to bone breaks.

Anyone can get osteoporosis at any age. However, it’s more common in older adults.

Osteoporosis occurs more frequently in women, although men can also develop it. Continue reading as we explore how osteoporosis differs between men and women.

Osteoporosis differs in several ways in men and women. Some examples include how early osteoporosis develops and how quickly it progresses.

Osteoporosis comes on later in men and progresses more slowly. This is likely because men typically have a higher bone mass than women. Additionally, reductions in estrogen due to menopause contribute to bone loss in women.

A 2017 review notes that older studies found rapid declines in bone density happened at age 65 to 69 for women and age 74 to 79 for men. Further, bone loss in the femur was 0.96% per year for women and 0.82% per year for men.

As we mentioned earlier, osteoporosis is more common in women. Generally speaking, women have a four times higher rate of osteoporosis compared to men.

A 2021 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) looked at the prevalence of osteoporosis in adults aged 50 and over between 2017 and 2018. It specifically looked at osteoporosis affecting the femur and lower spine.

It found that 19.6% of women had osteoporosis in these areas, compared to 4.4% of men. The prevalence of osteopenia, a precursor condition to osteoporosis, was also higher in women (51.5%) than in men (33.5%).

There are several reasons that osteoporosis may be more common in women. A few examples include the fact that women:

  • tend to have bones that are smaller, thinner, and less dense than men’s
  • experience bone loss due to the effects of menopause on the body, with up to 20% of bone loss occurring during this time
  • have a longer life expectancy, meaning that more bone loss can occur over time

Men and women can develop osteoporosis due to many of the same causes. Osteoporosis can be either primary or secondary.

Primary osteoporosis is caused by the natural effects of aging, while secondary osteoporosis is caused by an underlying condition or disease.

The main contributor to osteoporosis in women is menopause, the natural point in time when a woman stops having menstrual periods. Estrogen, which is also important for bone health, is low in menopause, accelerating bone loss.

In women, an estimated 20% to 40% of osteoporosis cases can be attributed to secondary causes. This number is higher in men, with around 50% to 65% of osteoporosis happening due to an underlying condition or disease.

Factors that can cause or contribute to secondary osteoporosis include things like:

While there’s no surefire way to prevent osteoporosis, there are steps that you can take to help optimize your bone health. The general recommendations for osteoporosis prevention are the same across sexes.

Preventive steps for osteoporosis are best started at a younger age but are helpful at all stages of life. They include:

Bone breaks, or fractures, are the main complication of osteoporosis in both sexes. Osteoporosis-related fractures happen 10 years later in men. Annually, around 29% of these fractures occur in men, with the rest happening in women.

While women tend to have more fractures, the effects of sustaining a fracture can be more severe in men. A 2022 review notes that the mortality (death) rate associated with osteoporosis-related hip and spine fractures is higher in men.

For example, a 2019 study looked at trends in mortality after an osteoporosis-associated hip fracture. The percentage of people dying due to any cause 1 year after the fracture was higher in men (43.3%) than in women (30%).

Osteoporosis can develop in both men and women. It’s more common in women and tends to come on earlier and progress faster in this group.

While men develop osteoporosis less frequently and have a smaller percentage of osteoporosis-related fractures, their outlook can be worse. Men who sustain an osteoporosis-related fracture tend to have a higher mortality rate than women.

Menopause is a big contributor to osteoporosis in women. Meanwhile, secondary causes play a larger role in men.

Both men and women can take steps in their daily lives to prevent osteoporosis and boost bone health. These include exercising, eating a healthy diet, and getting enough calcium and vitamin D.