Osteoporosis is a bone disorder that affects all persons, but it is more common in women than men.
Due to varying degrees of resorption and reforming of bones in different persons the degree of incidence varies from person to another.
But in addition to the deficiency of Calcium and Vitamin D, it is found that there is a direct correlation of the incidence of osteoporosis with the levels of sex hormones like estrogen, testosterone and progesterone. Also, the cell factors that interfere with the normal cell growth are found to be primarily responsible for this type of bone disorder.
Role of sex hormones in the development of osteoporosis
The role of sex hormones in the process of bone breakdown in women has been studied in detail and it is now proved that these hormones play an important role in the development of osteoporosis.
These hormones are responsible for the activities of both the bone breakers Osteoclasts and the bone builders Osteoblasts.
The use of birth control pills by women is a major contributing factor for the development of osteoporosis and the women are posed to a higher risk in their later years due to this. The women who have been using birth control pills are likely to be affected by this disease later in their life when they reach their menopause.
Read also: How to Cure Osteoporosis After Menopause
There are many types of birth control pills in use today, and those come under the hormonal contraceptives that contain more of progestin and have no estrogen are more likely to cause osteoporosis.
These are the reason behind the reducing of bone density in women, and unless they take additional ways to get more estrogen in their bodies they will be living under body stress due to imbalance in the hormonal structure.
The birth control pills interfere with the normal hormonal activity and mainly act on Estrogen hormone that is necessary for the development of the egg (Ova) and the fertilization of it in the Fallopian tube.
Estrogen hormone is available in the body in many forms and the most important form is Estradiol. And when the birth control pills reduce the production of this form in the woman’s body, it leads to osteoporosis.
The Estrogen hormone is also present in the form of Estrone and Estriol and many of the birth control pills are also having a detrimental effect on these hormones. Hence it leads to a condition where the Estrogen production is reduced, and even the lesser amounts of Estrogen produced in the body of the women are not allowed to function properly.
Thus, the use of birth control pills for prolonged periods leads to bone loss due to its bad impact on the bone density in many ways.
The use of these pills continuously leads to many other complications, but the process of slowing down the bone regeneration becomes the major reason for bone breakdown and osteoporosis in women.
Read also: Why Osteoporosis is More Common in Women