To function in every day to day life, your bones are important. While your bones are strong, especially when you’re young, they can lose density as you age. The bones in your body break down then rebuild themselves all the time. With osteoporosis, when the bone breaks down, it doesn’t rebuild as fast. This leaves little holes in your bones. The holes make your bones fragile.

Perimenopausal, slightly-built women are at increased risk for osteoporosis. Also, a family history of osteoporosis, eating disorders, smoking, excess alcohol consumption, and steroid usage also put individuals at risk. Below you will find the early symptoms of osteoporosis:

1. Receding gums
Receding gums is a common occurrence and can happen for a variety of reasons. When your bones are not able to rebuild themselves that means you are losing bone. When the jaw bone is losing bone it can cause your gums to recede.

2. Decreased grip strength
Osteoporosis causes bone loss and this causes your bones to get weaker. When your bones are weak it can make it difficult to keep your balance and to maintain grip strength. Maintaining your balance and not falling is crucial when it comes to dealing with bone loss. This can be helped if you stay physically active and practice strength training.

3. Weak and brittle fingernails
Weak and brittle nails can be a sign of Osteoporosis, but it can also be a sign of other lifestyle factors. Weak and brittle nails are nails that break easily and feel soft to the touch. Taking a look at your nails shouldn’t be the only symptom you look at when deciding whether someone has bone loss or not. There have been studies that have shown when women were on a program to improve their bone health, and their nails grew longer and stronger.

4. Muscle cramps
Some pain comes with old age, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a reason behind it. Some of the aches we experience as we get older could be from bone loss. Vitamin D is an important component of bone health, and as we age, we don’t get enough of it. Not getting enough Vitamin D can lead to muscle pain and muscle cramps. If your leg pain/leg cramps happen mostly at night, it means your body isn’t getting enough magnesium, calcium, or potassium. These things aid in bone health.

5. Height loss
It may seem hard to believe but, yes you can get shorter as you age. This pain can be connected to one or two things: bone loss or years of poor posture. With bone loss, you could lose more than two inches off your height. Losing bone density in your spine can make your spine curve. This hunched over posture is not good for your body.