An Evolutionary and Biocultural Approach to Understanding the Effects of Reproductive Factors on the Female Skeleton

Abstract

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease characterized by a reduction in bone mass and a deterioration of the microstructure of bone tissue, with a consequent increase in bone fragility and susceptibility to fracture. The precise mechanisms and etiology of the disease are incompletely understood. Age-related bone loss is found in both sexes, but is accelerated in females with the onset of menopause. Bone loss in postmenopausal years averages anywhere between 1–5% per year, increasing the risk of a 50-year old white woman sustaining a fracture at any skeletal site to 30–40% (Melton, 1995). Further, secular trends in Europe and North America indicate that the incidence of fragility fracture has doubled over the last three decades, creating a serious social and financial burden (Melton, 1995).