Wellness and Prevention

At California Hospital Medical Center’s Los Angeles Center for Women’s Health, we care for you from birth through life’s changes. For wellness and prevention to help you age gracefully, we offer bone density assessment.

Bone Density Assessment

Osteoporosis is a bone-thinning disease that can lead to debilitating fractures, typically in the spine, hip and wrist. Although the condition is often considered a “women’s diseases,” men may also be affected.

Many people don’t know they have osteoporosis until they have a fracture or have a bone density scan, also known as a bone mineral density (BMD) test. A bone density scan is a simple, non-invasive test that measures a person’s bone density or volume of calcium and minerals within bone tissue.

Bone density screening can help to:

• Detect osteoporosis before a fracture occurs
• Predict your chance of fracturing in the future
• Determine your rate of bone loss and/or monitor the effects of treatment

The Nation Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that you have a bone density test it:

• You are a woman age 65 or older
• You are a man age 70 or older
• You break a bone after age 50
• You are a woman of menopausal age with risk factors
• You are a postmenopausal woman under age 55 with risk factors
• You are a man age 50 – 69 with risk factors

A bone density test may also be necessary if you have any of the following:

• An X-ray of your spine showing a break or bone loss in your spine
• Back pain with a possible break in your spine
• Height loss of ½ inch or more within one year
• Total height loss of 1 ½ inches from your original height

Learn More About Wellness And Prevention

For more information and appointments, please call (213) 742-6400. For a physician referral, call (888) 742-2462, or use our online search tool to Find a Doctor.