Osteoporosis is a major public health threat for an estimated 44 million Americans, or 55 percent of the people 50 years of age and older.

There are certain risk factors that might mean your bones aren't as healthy as they should be, for many women osteoporosis is a concern. Rosemarie Drygala who is concerned about osteoporosis says, "My grandmother has been diagnosed with osteoporosis; she's 96 right now and she's doing well with it. And my mother has been diagnosed with osteoporosis in the last 6 years or so. So it does concern me very much."

Orthopedic Surgeon David Heligman explains that screening is one key to preventing osteoporosis - and the gold standard for that is a bone density scan.

"It's a specialized x-ray that measures the density of the bone. and we usually recommend all women over 50 do a baseline scan."

Dr. Heligman says that the results of your dexa scan are scored and if the density falls below certain parameters you'll be diagnosed with either osteopenia or osteoporosis. Many people get osteoporosis and osteopenia confused. So what is the difference?

Osteoporosis is a disease that breaks down the tissue in our bones, making them fragile and more likely to break. Osteopenia is not a disease, but a term that describes low bone density. "Which means that you're beginning to lose calcium out of the bones."

Dr. Heligman also says that if your scan shows osteoporosis, there are steps you can take to slow its progression. medications are one option. "We usually recommend putting you on a medication that will help increase the density of the bone."

Increasing your calcium intake should be the first step, but that doesn't just mean drinking more milk, specific calcium and vitamin d supplements are a better option to help prevent dangerous fractures.

Exercise has also been shown to aid in the prevention of osteoporosis and most physicians recommend about 30 minutes of vigorous exercise about 3 to 5 times a week.