I’ve had osteopenia/osteoporosis for 12 years now. I’ve been on bHRT for 14 years, starting in perimenopause at age 51.

I’ve also focused on strength training, impact exercise, and a healthy diet concentrating on adequate protein, leafy greens, veggies, fruit and complex carbs, and calcium, magnesium, and vitamin K supplementation.

I spent 5+ years on Fosamax which I now think was too long. It worked well for the first 2 years but stopped working after that. I made the mistake of relying on my PCP for osteoporosis care during those five years when I should have been seeing a specialist.

I was getting ready to come off of Fosamax after the recommended five years of treatment when I had a vertebral compression fracture. It was only then that I was referred to a specialist for treatment.

It’s been 2 years since my fracture and I have taken Tymlos, Forteo, and now Evenity. Everything else remained the same lifestyle-wise. The good news is that I haven’t fractured again.

I do have some side effects from the Evenity but will continue on it for another four months. I will do Reclast after to slow down bone breakdown for a couple more years. After that, I will stop and see how it goes. I want a couple of years off everything to see if I can continue to avoid fracturing.

My reasoning is that I did everything right but still had a fracture. I am always willing to try what the doctors suggest based on science-based evidence before I go against their recommendations.

This is how I feel and I know others have much different opinions about this. I also think that this is a serious and complex disease and the medications to treat it are no different than meds you’d take for other serious diseases like heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, cancer, etc., in that all have side effects. There is a tendency to downplay the seriousness of osteoporosis as it doesn’t affect your life until you fracture. I was 100% the same until my fracture in ignoring it and not questioning anything.

I wish you the best in your decision as I know it’s a difficult one.