How Do You Prevent Osteoporosis In Breast Cancer Patients On Aromatase Inhibitors?
Osteoporosis, or bone loss, is a problem faced by many post-menopausal women. If you are such a woman and have been diagnosed with an estrogen-positive breast cancer, you have even more concerns regarding the health of your bones. That is because your doctor has likely prescribed a drug such as Arimidex or Femara; these meds, called aromatase inhibitors, prevent your body from producing estrogen. Period. Your ovaries may no longer be functioning, but that does not mean your body is not producing estrogen by other means. So here is your Catch 22 situation: you don’t want estrogen attaching itself to any cancer cells that may be lingering in your bloodstream. So you pop a pill. On the other hand, your miracle drug is depriving your body of an important hormone — estrogen — that helps maintain healthy bones. So what is a breast cancer survivor to do? Find out your risk factors for osteoporosis. If you are of Caucasian — especially Northern European — or Asian descent, you are at a hig
