Low T-scores, 70+ who decline medications and remain fracture free

I was skiing and got 2 compression fractures that hurt so bad- healed in time thankfully. I did take Evenity & a Reclast infusion afterwards.
Stayed osteoporosis but improved. May start Tymlos (with intense daily exercise as my new normal).
Went from -4 to -2.5 in spine now.
I have stumbled many times doing normal stuff and no problems so that’s a good sign.

It’s such a personal decision and I probably wouldn’t have taken anything but for those fractures. I am active but no more skiing. I am 67 now.

Demographic: Age 70; menopause at 50
T-scores: Lumbar Spine -2.3; Femoral Neck -2.5; Left Femur -2.4; Right Femur -2.3; Total hip -2.5; Left Forearm -2.3 (in 2022, my total hip was -3.5 and the other scores about the same - the MD thinks the total hip was an erroneous score for ??? reason).
Nutrition: plants, eggs, fish, some chicken, dairy - I increased my protein a lot after my diagnosis.
Supplements: D3, MK4, Magnesium Glycinate, collagen, creatine, protein powder (inconsistently), fish oil.
Exercise: walk daily and to run most errands, Onero, Pilates, resistance bands, balance and posture routines
Falls: I fell 2x in the mountains training for a very long hike; I had a virus and fainted in my bathroom - woke up on the floor - my Apple Watch called 911 and I had to get staples in my head; I fell off an electric bicycle taking a corner too fast; I slid on a plastic dog bone and landed on my knee. No fractures on any of the above.

I started HRT 10 days ago - I don't know if I will stick with it or not. My MD and I will decide. Pissed about the Women's Health Initiative (misnomer).

All this said, my CTX and P1NP scores aren't good and by TBS isn't good either (big surprise to me given my falls). I'm retesting late this summer. If the results remain low, I might consider medication. I don't want to take anything and more than that, I don't want to fracture. I despise this diagnosis more than I can say and I suspect most of us feel the same way.

76, menopause at 50, no HRT or other prescription drugs of any kind. Bad fall, broken right wrist at 63. Have fallen multiple times since with low T scores and no breaks. Both sisters and mother had Osteoporosis. One who took all bone drugs died from breaking both shoulders and a leg at 83. I do bone health exercises that focus on strength and balance and lift weights at the Y. Plants based diet, magnesium, D, C and now Biotin. I’ve also eaten whole, organic foods since 1975. With the exception of eating out. After both hips replaced my T score has improved as I’m able to walk and do more exercise. I’m very careful. I use walking sticks and love them.

and do more exercise

Not really part of your cohort as I've been on meds since 2018. I did want to mention, though, that I had a significant motorcycle accident in 2017 after being diagnosed with osteoporosis in my hips and didn't break anything. So clearly bone quality carries a lot of weight in determining whether you fracture. Since then I've stumbled and landed on my wrists and fallen over once or twice without fracturing.

I did fracture my T8 vertebra but it wasn't from falling. I was rinsing my hair under the bathtub faucet and straining to get the back of my head under the water stream. I pressed my ribcage down hard on the edge of the bathtub while my spine was flexed. I felt a sudden burning pain in my ribcage that radiated around to the front and months of pain afterwards. I thought it was a muscle pull but after it didn't get better, I had an x-ray.

I think as long as you continue what you are doing and be careful about how you move and avoiding fall risks, you are doing the right thing for you.

I have a couple of years of Reclast coming up then I will likely stop meds and see how I do. I haven't had another fracture since my first in 2023 and haven't really changed my lifestyle except to be more careful about placing a load on a flexed spine.

Edited to add that my lumbar T-score was -1.6 when I fractured. Hips were around -2.6 when I had my accident and didn't fracture.

I am 75 with severe osteoporosis, -4.1 spine, -2.7 in hips and. I have refused any bone drugs and so far am fracture free. I can't take Tymlos or Forteo because I have parathyroid issues, which are a reason for my bad DEXA scores. It's a complicated situation and I'm being monitored by my Endocrinologist. I've read that bisphosphonates and Evenity don't offer much benefit in fracture prevention so I don't want to take them. I walk, garden, and do some of the exercises recommended on the Facebook site "Brick House Bones" by Dr Lisa Moore, a PT specializing in osteoporosis. I take great precautions to prevent falls, so do several exercises a day to help with balance.

Anyway, I take a lot of supplements. Here's my list:

Vitamin K: This helps direct calcium to your bones. I take two forms of Vitamin K in high doses: 180mcg of vitamin K2 MK-7 (Menaquinone-7) TrueVantage brand and 45,000 mcg (45 mg) of vitamin K2 MK-4 (Menaquinone-4) Life Extension K2 High Potency brand. These high doses are discussed more in a topic in this support group titled: Vitamin K: High Doses of MK-4 and MK-7 Show Promising Results

Collagen as Fortibone: I take a daily powdered collagen supplement that contains Fortibone, which has been shown in studies to help bones. The cheapest brand I found on Amazon is AlgaeCal, cheapest if you buy two or three at a time. I make a smoothie with it along with some juice, banana, and other fruit. It also contains 11 grams of protein per serving.

Protein powder: Protein is important for your bones so I take Oath Nutrition Clear Whey Isolate Protein Powder. Their Frosty Lemonade is my favorite flavor. Mixed with water it takes like foamy lemonade. I've tried other protein powders but many of them leave a bad aftertaste.

Prunes: Studies have shown that eating 5-6 prunes a day can help bones because of their high content of Boron. In one trial, supplementing with 3 mg/day of boron reduced calcium loss by 44% in women with adequate magnesium — in less than one month! In women with low magnesium, calcium loss was reduced by half as much. So far, I'm trying to get my boron from food, including the prunes.

Magnesium is also important, so I take 250-300mg of magnesium glycinate/day.

Calcium, I alternate New Chapter Bone Strength algae sourced calcium along with Citrical mini's and Seen Calcium Chews, which gets its calcium from food. Each chew contains 500mg calcium.

I also take vitamin D, C, B complex and fish oil capsules.