Keep nutrients in reserve

Harpreet Singh

Bone depletion is a natural part of ageing in both men and women. In fact, it is estimated that adults lose their bone density by 0.3 per cent to 0.5 per cent per year after the age of 35. Known as osteoporosis or brittle bones disease, the degenerating condition of bones results from decrease in bone mass due to loss of minerals. However, women find themselves at a higher risk of bone loss, not just in old age, but throughout their lifetime. In fact, as they touch 30 and consequently their bone density peaks, the gradual process of bone loss has already kicked off. Osteoporosis is more common in women who face rapid depletion of bone minerals after menopause.

Besides, another stage where women are prone to osteoporosis is during pregnancy. While bone loss occurs continuously throughout life, it exacerbates during pregnancy when an additional body starts feeding on a woman’s body’s resources. During pregnancy, the baby receives all the nutrition from mother’s diet. However, if calcium and other nutrients are not sufficiently provided for in her diet, the child will start absorbing minerals from her bones. With calcium being one of the most crucial minerals needed for the growth of a foetus, this deprives pregnant women of a lot of their own body reserves.

In women who do not take conscious care of their nutritional status, this can be dangerous for both short-term and long-term health. In most cases women recover their bone calcium after they have delivered the baby and have breastfed her, yet many are left with depleted bones for life. This can be prevented if proper care is taken in terms of calcium intake and bone health from early years.

The risk for a woman developing osteoporosis gets higher if she undergoes back to back pregnancies. Experts say that women having subsequent pregnancies less than a year apart are exposed to a greater risk for osteoporosis later in life than those who have substantial gap between pregnancies. Although, women tend to regain the loss in calcium during pregnancy once the breastfeeding is completed, shorter subsequent pregnancy prohibits this regaining of the mineral. A woman needs time to restore the lost bone density, which becomes impossible in case of short duration between two pregnancies. Notably, woman undergoing first pregnancy before the age of 27 years also has higher chances of developing osteoporosis.

Women with osteoporosis during pregnancy often complain about back pain, loss of height, and vertebral fractures. Sometimes even a minor fall can result in a fracture, indicating weak bones. Although hip pain and fracture of the femur are less common, some women do face the condition. Experts believe that majority of women (56%) suffer from osteoporosis in their postpartum period while 41% have it in the third trimester. Pertinently, the degenerative condition usually occurs during first pregnancy and is a temporary state, however, less than a year gap between the subsequent pregnancy can make the degeneration worse, making it a permanent condition.

Besides pregnancy, breastfeeding also causes loss of calcium from woman’s body. As per studies, the loss of bone density during lactation is temporary and tends to recover within six months after weaning. However, in case of subsequent pregnancies occurring between a less than a year’s gap, the mother will conceive while breastfeeding the first child. Therefore, her bone density loss is compounded, one due to breastfeeding and other due to the fetus. This further becomes a significant reason to maintain a substantial gap between two pregnancies.

Progressive loss of calcium over the years can lead to the dangerous osteoporosis. This condition accelerates after menopause. Osteoporosis or weak bones make you more susceptible to developing fractures. Since osteoporosis is a progressive syndrome that takes years, its effects show up when we are older. However, the condition has begun much earlier in life. There are also no symptoms to identify that you are suffering from osteoporosis until a bone fracture actually takes place. However, even if we cannot see or feel the bone loss, we know for sure that it is happening. Undergoing a bone mineral density test is a logical way to check your bone density after pregnancy and take corrective recourse if needed. In any case, taking care of bone health by ensuring sufficient consumption of calcium, vitamin D and performing weight bearing exercises is important throughout our lives.

While it is absolutely important to strengthen the bones by boosting intake of calcium before you think of conceiving, it is equally important to maintain a gap at least 2 years between two pregnancies to enable your bones regain and restore the lost calcium.

Consultant Orthopedics, Indian Spinal Injury Centre, New Delhi