It was brought to my attention in the 1990s a book by Dr John Lee who had his own practice and was excellent in researching and especially with his patients and finding patterns within his clientele.
He wrote a book on menopause and thru observing his patients osteoporosis, he discovered that it could be reversed with progesterone cream.
His writings and experience are worthy to read.
You will have to discuss this with your doctor.

For those who want to Read about Dr. Lee, here is a link for you. I share this for information only so you might discuss this with your doctor after you have read the book.
Dr. Lee, thru his own patients, discovered numerous women who were estrogen dominant. He prescribed the appropriate patients to take progesterone cream. After a period of time, he took these patients bone density tests. Their tests revealed a reversal.
Dr. Lee has since passed away. This is for your interest and information and as always, discuss with your doctor.
https://www.johnleemd.com/

I am 5'0" and weigh 97 llbs and am nearly 71 years old. I started weight lifting 7-8 years ago around 2015. After starting I saw an increase in one density, mainly in spine, but a some in the hips too. Unfortunately around 2020-22 I had to go on dialysis which is really hard on the bones, as is kidney disease. I had a kidney transplant in late Oct. 2022, and am not trying my hardest to gain back or at least stay where I am after losing one mass on dialysis. In addition to eating a "bone healthy diet" I am back to weight training. I lift very heavy for my smally body. Squat 35 lbs 20 reps 3xweek, deadlift 130 1xweek, at home I jump 200 times a day-not all at once, and a few other exercises for the hip neck. My last dexa, on 11-23 (which I paid for myself) showed I was holding steady compared to a dexa I had on 2-23. So it is likely a result of both weight lifting and nutrition. Also, I have read that dexa sometimes is not accurate for small framed individuals, especially at the hip neck. The next time I get a dexa, I am going to go to a place where they also test the TBS score which measures the bone quality, not just the density. Considering my age, I will be happy if I get a good TBS score and remain the same for bone density. I remind myself a lot that before the dexa machine was invented, people, such as my mother who died at age 97 never had any bone issues. She was very active and ate like people used to eat before we had all the processed foods we have today. It is only my opinion, but since dexa was developed and the pharmaceuticals came out, people did not worry about the "O" word. I also remind myself that a T-score compares oneself to the bone structure of a person in their 30's. As we age, our bone mass naturally decreases. I do know that calcium is not absorbed well unless you have an adequate amount of vitamin K2. Also you need vitamin D for bones. One added piece of info, you are likely gaining muscle through your exercises. Muscle protects your bones and balance--and helps you prevent falls. Weight training is the best for bones. While some cardio is obviously good for your circulation and heart, I try not to do too much, cause I need the calories and the weight on my small body. Plus, weight lifting is also now-days considered a cardio cause it is certainly strenuous on your heart.

Helari,

Thanks for reaching out. I feel like I'm in a bit of a unique situation with my bones and it's sort of a long winded story. In a nutshell, early menopause (last period at 32), diagnosed with hypothyroidism around age 48 and two years later, at age 50, diagnosed with osteoporosis.

The DEXA results that I posted (in the post you responded to) were from a Hologic scanner with TBS capabilities. If you want more info about what that is let me know.

My DEXA results for July 2019, December 2021, December 2022, December 2023 all done on a GE Lunar scanners are below. Note, my 2019, 2021, and 2022 scans were done on the same exact GE Lunar scanner but the machine broke LOL so my December 2023 scan had to be done on a different GE Lunar scanner.

LUMBAR SPINE
L1 -4.5 -3.8 -4.1 -4.2
L2 -4.3 -4.2 -4.2 -4.4
L3 -3.7 -3.3 -3.5 -3.3
L4 -3.4 -3.5 -2.9 -3.1
Total L Spine -3.9 -3.7 -3.6 -3.8
RIGHT HIP
Right Neck -2.7 -3.1 -2.9 -2.8
Total Right Femur -3.0 -3.0 -2.8 -2.6
LEFT HIP
Left Neck -3.3 -3.2 -3.1 -2.8
Total Left Femur -3.4 -2.9 -3.0 -3.0

At my endocrinologist's urging, I took osteo-meds, alendronate from January 2020 - July 2021, it caused gastrointestinal tract issues so I took a 4 month bisphosphonate holiday, and in November 2021, I had my first and only zoledronic acid infusion. My endocrinologist ordered another zoledronic acid infusion for November 2022, but I decided against it.

I can't give a good answer to your question about if my bones have improved since I started lifting weights but I do feel confident in saying that I'm not losing bone. If you compare my July 2019 T-scores and my December 2023 T-scores (remember those weren't done on the same scanner), all of my T-Scores seem to have gone up slightly, except for my L2 which went from -4.3 in 2019 to -4.4 in 2023 and my right femoral neck which went from -2.7 in 2019 to -2.8 in 2023. DEXA aren't very accurate so a .1 increase or decrease doesn't mean much.

Hypothyroidism slows down bone growth and bisphosphonates interfere with new bone formation--something my endocrinologist didn't tell me prior to prescribing bisphosphonates. I do NOT think that the bisphosphonates improved my bones and there is a chance that the bisphosphonates interfered with my efforts at the gym. I'm hoping that now that it's been more than 2 years since I've taken bisphosphonates that I might get a better idea in the coming years of whether or not my gym efforts can help my BMD.

You said you've gone from osteopenia to osteoporosis, but how big is the change and was it all over or just one vertabra? Also how old are you and are you post-menopausal and if yes, are you on HRT? Are you familiar with BTM testing and have you had it done? Have you had a full thyroid panel (testing just your TSH doesn't give a full picture)? Have you been tested for Celiac?

Get back to me and I will send you some information that might be useful.