Bone density accounts for about 80 percent of the strength of your bones, and a prime indicator of future fractures is a bone density test.

Because insurance doesn’t always cover these tests, fewer than 10 percent of women with significant bone loss have them, according to The John Hancock Center for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Tufts University.

You should have a bone density test if:

  * You have symptoms of osteoporosis, such as frequent bone fractures or significant loss of height.
  * You’re beginning or planning to stop hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
  * You’re in peri-menopause or menopause.

Several different procedures are used to test bone density. All are safe, painless, quick and precise.