Dona’s Story: Strengthening Her Bones After a Postmenopausal Osteoporosis Diagnosis

After a missed spinal fracture left her feeling fragile and isolated, Dona became an advocate for women living with postmenopausal osteoporosis. This World Osteoporosis Day, Dona is sharing her story so other women can better understand their risk before a fracture changes their lives.

When Dona felt something shift in her back during a yoga retreat, doctors believed she had strained a muscle. Three months later, an X-ray revealed a vertebral fracture, the first sign of a disease she didn't know she had.

Seeking to understand her fracture, Dona searched online. The results suggested osteoporosis as a possible underlying cause. The next day, she called her primary care provider, who ordered a routine bone density test called a DXA (pronounced "dex-a") scan. Dona was ultimately diagnosed with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

This World Osteoporosis Day, October 20, the Osteoporosis Action Network (OAN), is advocating for a future where women like Dona receive necessary diagnoses and care before they experience potentially life-changing injuries.

Osteoporosis Often Goes Undiagnosed Until a Fracture Occurs

Unfortunately, Dona's story is not uncommon. She is one of many women who did not know they had postmenopausal osteoporosis until they broke a bone. The condition is often called a "silent disease" because it weakens bones usually without symptoms.¹ Even after a fracture, many women do not receive a timely diagnosis or treatment. 83% of women over 50 remain undiagnosed and 88% remain untreated for osteoporosis one year after breaking a bone.²

This leaves them vulnerable to future breaks: After an osteoporosis fracture, women are five times more likely to suffer another break within a year.³

In Dona's case, doctors initially advised her to seek physical therapy for what seemed to be a pulled muscle. She felt dismissed: "I think they just saw a 59-year-old woman with white hair complaining about her back," Dona said.

But when the disease finally becomes apparent, the results can be devastating. Approximately two million osteoporosis-related fractures occur each year in the U.S., and more than 500,000 result in hospitalization.^4,5 These fractures can lead to reduced mobility and independence and other long-term challenges.⁶

Dona recalled her own physician issuing a stark warning about her diagnosis. "You could cough or sneeze and fracture again," her doctor said. "Don't bend, don't twist."

The prognosis was devastating. Just a few months prior, Dona was leading a vibrant, athletic lifestyle. She was hiking, volunteering and caring for her grandchildren. But with postmenopausal osteoporosis, everyday situations like tripping on a cord or picking up grocery bags can lead to a broken bone.⁷ For a time after her diagnosis, Dona felt confined to her couch and emotionally brokenhearted.

The Osteoporosis Action Network Is Advancing Fracture Prevention and Care

For women like Dona, access to clear information can be an important tool for understanding their risk and advocating for their bone health. That's why the OAN, a coalition of medical societies, healthcare leaders, advocacy organizations, and industry partners, is working to reshape the future of osteoporosis through better education and advocacy. Initial funding for the OAN was provided by Amgen.

"There are three goals at the center of this multistakeholder partnership" said Sarah Murphy, senior director at the American Orthopaedic Association. "Educating clinicians to identify and treat high risk patients, elevating the conversation around osteoporosis and fracture prevention, and closing the osteoporosis knowledge gap. If we can achieve all three, our hope is that we'll be able to help prevent three million fractures by 2033."

The OAN recently developed a new website to serve as a central hub for information about osteoporosis care and fracture prevention. The coalition wants bone health to be a subject that doctors automatically bring up with vulnerable patients-not one that is siloed away until a fracture occurs. And when individuals do break a bone, the OAN is arming physicians with resources for post-fracture care.

For someone like Dona, who relied upon online resources as she tried to better understand her injury and prolonged recovery process, these tools are invaluable. The new resources are designed to make information about osteoporosis and fracture care easier to access for patients, healthcare professionals, and advocates.

The OAN website is also home to Stand Bone Strong: a recently launched awareness initiative and symbol intended to bring more prominence to osteoporosis.

"As members of the OAN, we're committed to the Stand Bone Strong mission," said Claire Gill, CEO, Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation. "This symbol is inspired by our hope for a world where bone health is prioritized and osteoporosis fractures are rare."

Taking an Active Role in Bone Strength

Dona decided with her doctor to start a treatment to help strengthen her bones. After a year, her DXA scan revealed that her bone density had improved.

"I still have to deal with postmenopausal osteoporosis, and it will always be a part of my life," she said. "But I feel so much less fragile, and I'm so glad that I took action to help restore some of the bone strength I had lost."

Dona's story underscores the importance of identifying osteoporosis risk earlier, before a fracture changes someone's life. By bringing patients, healthcare professionals, organizations and advocates together, the OAN is working toward a future where Dona's story is not so common.

Today, Dona prides herself on being an advocate for early diagnosis for women with osteoporosis. "I want to change the story that it's an old lady disease, because I am not an old lady," she said. "I want women like me to understand their risk and know that they can do something about it."

Visit OsteoporosisActionNetwork.org to learn more about the coalition, explore fracture-care resources, and discover how you can Stand Bone Strong.

References:

1. National Institute on Aging. Osteoporosis. National Institutes of Health. Updated November 2022. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/osteoporosis/osteoporosis. Accessed October 8, 2026.
2. Data on File, Amgen; 2024.
3. van Geel TA, van Helden S, Geusens PP, Winkens B, Dinant GJ. Clinical subsequent fractures cluster in time after first fractures. Ann Rheum Dis. 2009;68(1):99-102. doi:10.1136/ard.2008.092775
4. Dempster DW. Osteoporosis and the burden of osteoporosis-related fractures. Am J Manag Care. 2011;17 Suppl 6:S164-S169.
5. Gold T, Williams SA, Weiss RJ, et al. Impact of fractures on quality of life in patients with osteoporosis: a US cross-sectional survey. J Drug Assess. 2019;8(1):175-183. Published 2019 Oct 9. doi:10.1080/21556660.2019.1677674
6. Office of the Surgeon General (US). Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General. Rockville (MD): Office of the Surgeon General (US); 2004.
7. National Institute on Aging. Osteoporosis. National Institutes of Health. Updated November 2022. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/osteoporosis/osteoporosis. Accessed October 9, 2026.