Did you wait to start osteoporosis treatment, if so why?

I did wait. Can’t say it was the smartest thing I’ve ever done (or the dumbest, there’s some competition there).
I was osteopenia throughout my mid-50s, early 60s. At 65 my scores dropped into osteoporosis. My earlier thinking was that I didn’t know anyone with a broken hip. My mother and two older sisters also had osteopenia/osteoporosis and had not broken anything. But my mother and one sister went on HRT. My other sister took prolia, she also had DCIS breast pre-cancer like I ended up with.
My motivation to start the alendronate was fear of spine fractures. My mother did have a few compression fractures at about 85 and it caused her much discomfort and pain.
For some of us, diet and exercise never does seem to bring up the bone density scores. My osteoporosis was almost surely a result of low estrogen. I had all the signs and symptoms of low estrogen. Because my sister had DCIS I could not take estradiol.
I have trouble with alendronate (stomach irritation, diarrhea, conjunctivitis). Switched to Reclast, it brought me out of osteoporosis within the first year, but I was only at -2.9 in two areas.
If I were to do it over, I’d check into what was recommended and the plan on how to keep the bones strong for so many years. On some drugs as soon as they are stopped the bone loss starts up again. Figuring out what to take, maybe in a series of a couple of meds, over how long, would figure in my decision on what to do.

oknowwhatpixie,
hi.
If you haven't any history precluding the use of estrodial, you might consider the patch. This is probably the time of greatest bone loss for you because we start to lose estrogen at 50. It may prevent loss. And it's easier to prevent loss than to regain.
I delayed somewhat caught between fear of pharmaceuticals and fear of fracture. I did the deep dive into pubmed, many multiples of doctors, inspire and mayo connect. I was completely sidetracked by a year of cancer.
DXA after radiation hustled me, but knowing more about the drugs, having confidence in Forteo made the choice. I'm finishing a year of Forteo without side effects. I happy with the decision but startled in retrospect that I'd risked fracture in the delay. Like Rubyslippers, not the smartest, maybe the dumbest competition there. Sheer luck for salvation.

-2.7 is that murky area. I honestly can't say if I regretted waiting. It isn't that I didn't try. Back 14 years ago when I was first diagnosed, I didn't know much and there weren't many options. I could not tolerate Fosamax or Forteo and theb my endo didn't prescribe Reclast during cancer treatment for fear of my afib. I finally got on Tymlos but things had gotten pretty bad by that time.

One thing to think about is bone quality as well as quantity. Have you had that tested?

Have you considered talking with Keith McCormick, author of Great Bones and "A Whole Body Approach to Osteoporosis." Do you have a good endocrinologist? It is helpful to have a long term plan.

I also like Dr. Ben Leder's YouTube video "Combinations and Sequencing ofApproaches to Osteoporosis." Someone posted that he is speaking 5/21 at 7pm on OsteoBoston.

I have friends with DEXA's in your range who are not taking meds and I am sure others are. I hope you can talk with McCormick at some point though a consultation costs $350. You might get good advice from an endo or from reading. Margaret Martin at melioguide.com is a great resource too.