Maintaining skeletal health among postmenopausal women.

The paradigm for prevention of osteoporotic fractures in postmenopausal women is changing. There are new ways of looking at prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. With diagnostic procedures, such as bone densitometry, and recently developed pharmacologic agents, such as bisphosphonates and selective estrogen receptor modulators, there is increasing optimism about osteoporosis prevention and treatment. Effective results have been demonstrated even when treatment is begun in women in their 60s and 70s. Bone can be regained and fractures can be prevented in patients in this age group and beyond.