Pregnancy &
Diving
::
Risk for Women
Divers
::
Menarche
::
Menopause &
Osteoporosis
::
Breast Implants
::
Breast Feeding
::
PMS
::
Postpartum
Diving
::
Gender
Differences
Menopause &
Osteoporosis
There is no pool
of diving data
to indicate that
women are at any
more or less
risk of DCS or
osteonecrosis
when
perimenopausal
or post
menopausal.
Average
menopausal age
is 50,
osteopoross
usually starts
between ages
60-65 and
fractures
average at
70-75.
Osteonecrosis
and osteoporosis
have differing
pathophysiologic
mechanisms;
osteonecrosis
resulting from
blockage of the
small blood
vessels of the
bone, while
osteoporosis
comes from
changes in
cellular
activity. Diving
does not seem to
have any effect
on the changes
in the
osteoblasts and
-clasts that
occur with aging
and diminished
estrogen.
Good advice
would be for the
elderly female
diver to dive
conservatively
so as to not add
the risk of
bubble damage to
a porous bone
from
osteoporosis.
