Episode 29: Menopause: How It Can Affect Your Body and Your Bone Health

Dr. Heather Johnson

On this episode of Bone Talk, Dr. Heather Johnson, an actively practicing gynecologist in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, joins Claire Gill, CEO of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, to talk about how changes that occur in the body due to menopause can affect our bone health. For example, the loss of estrogen impacts our bodies in a variety of ways.  Bone is living and always growing in our body and estrogen (or the lack of) impacts the balance of breaking down and building up our bones.

In this episode you’ll also hear about:

• How lactation and severe weight loss can lead to lower estrogen levels and bone loss. 

• How women having children into their 40’s are not always aware that menopause symptoms can begin in their 40’s as well.

• Who you talk should to. Many OBGYN doctors are beginning to get more menopause-related information to their patients. 

• Family history and other health issues can impact bone health. Awareness is key in developing a plan that’s right for you.  

Good bone health is often discounted in our younger years, but it’s something women can improve at any stage of life. Dr. Johnson encourages women to have a conversation with their doctor. It’s also important to review family history, your personal health concerns and lifestyle factors. Being proactive is one of the best steps to long-term bone health.

Dr. Heather Johnson is an actively practicing gynecologist in the Washington DC metropolitan area and recently retired as an obstetrician after delivering more than 3,500 babies over the course of forty years. She received her M.D. at Yale University of Medicine and completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Dr. Johnson is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as a fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She also served in the US Army for eight years prior to going into private practice in 1987. She is the author of two books, What They Don't Tell You About Having a Baby and What They Don't Tell You About Menopause. For more information about Dr. Johnson and to read some of her pearls of wisdom, you can visit her website AskDrHeatherJohnson.com.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Dr. Heather Johnson: askdrhealtherjohnson.com

• Dr. J’s Menopause Pearls

• What They Don’t Tell You About Menopause: A Gynecologist’s Unofficial Guide to Premenopausal, Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Life

• What Women Need to Know About Osteoporosis

• Prevention and Healthy Living