Women who are peri-menopausal or post-menopausal are at risk for developing osteoporosis. This is why it is critical that if you or your partner is in this category, you need to know about vitamin D deficiency symptoms and what you can do to overcome the problem.
What happens after menopause?
When a woman goes through menopause, her body stops producing important hormones including estrogen. This loss in estrogen production leads to bone loss because it increases both bone resorption and decreases calcium absorption. In turn, this will result in a decrease in bone mass, which experts say is usually about 3% to 5% per year.
Osteoporosis – the silent disease
The name osteoporosis literally means “porous bone.” It is a disease wherein the quality and density of your bones are reduced. When your bones become fragile and porous, the risk of a fracture increases greatly. The big problem of osteoporosis is that your bone loss occurs progressively and silently. In fact, in most cases, a woman will not even know she has osteoporosis until she suffers her first fracture. These fractures commonly occur in the hip, wrist and spine.
Vitamin D and calcium
After menopause, many women take a calcium supplement in the belief that this will ward off osteoporosis and other bone-related diseases. However, calcium alone is not enough, as calcium cannot be absorbed in the gut without vitamin D. In other words, you can take a calcium supplement for years but if you don’t also get the proper amount of vitamin D, you can still develop osteoporosis.
Vitamin D deficiency symptoms
Unfortunately, the biggest symptom of a vitamin D deficiency is bone loss – or osteoporosis – which is often not diagnosed until it is too late. However, there are some other symptoms that could indicate you have such a deficiency.
For example, bone pain is a major symptom. In addition to this, some women who have had a vitamin D deficiency have reported a burning sensation in their mouths and throats. Another symptom of a deficiency can be a loss in weight caused by a loss of appetite. And still other symptoms can be constipation, vomiting, diarrhea and insomnia.
Vitamin D supplements
Most experts recommend that post-menopausal women take both calcium and a vitamin D supplement. Here is the amount of a calcium supplement recommended for women by age.
- Women 19-70 years: 600 IU
- Women over 70 years: 800 IU
How much vitamin D do you need?
How much vitamin D you need depends on a number of factors. As a general rule, the further you live away you live from the equator, the darker your skin, and the more you weigh - the more vitamin D you will need to maintain a healthy blood level.
However, as in all things having to do with your health, he best way to determine how much vitamin D you need is to discuss this with your healthcare provider.
A vitamin D deficiency in women can be serious. But a vitamin D deficiency in children can be even worse …
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