Menopause changes your bones. Medicare starts checking at 70.
The average age of menopause in Australia is around 51.1 Bone loss accelerates during the surrounding years, yet a Medicare-funded bone density scan generally starts at age 70, unless you have specific risk factors.2
Bone density can fall fastest in the years around menopause. Measure your bone, muscle and body composition now, with your referral arranged for you.
✓ Referral arranged by us✓ Scan takes a few minutes✓ Stay fully clothed
51
Average age of menopause in Australia
10%
Bone density a woman can lose in the first five years after menopause
70
Age a Medicare-funded bone density scan generally starts
You're not imagining it.
The changes in strength, weight, sleep, energy and focus are real. Fluctuating oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone all have considerable impacts on a woman – mentally and physically.
Understanding what’s changing and how is the key to managing this chapter intelligently.
The timing gap
The biggest changes to bone density happen decades before the routine check.
Bone density changes significantly during perimenopause and menopause with the decline in oestrogen. Oestrogen helps keep bones strong, when oestrogen levels drop, your body breaks down old bone faster than it can build new bone. Women can lose up to 10% of their bone density in just the first five years following menopause,3 with a significant portion of that loss starting during late perimenopause.
DEXA is the gold standard for measuring bone density. A DEXA scan can identify osteopenia (early bone thinning) before it advances into full osteoporosis. Early detection provides a vital window of opportunity to take preventive action. Having a scan during perimenopause or early menopause provides a baseline measure so your doctor can accurately track changes to your bone health over time and make informed treatment choices for nutrition, exercise, supplements or hormone therapy.
Years of fastest changeUp to 20 years without routine screening
Around 51 average menopauseAge 70 Medicare screening starts
4045505560657075
What you'll learn
Three numbers that shape the next thirty years.
01
Bone density
Your bone density assessment, reported by a radiologist, so you and your GP can talk about strength and fracture risk with real data.
02
Muscle mass
Muscle underpins strength, balance and independence. Measure how much muscle you have and where, arms, legs and trunk, to inform nutrition, exercise and training goals.
03
Visceral fat
The fat around your organs is linked to heart and metabolic health. Visceral fat is highly active metabolically releasing inflammatory proteins that cause a shift in how fat is stored. It’s about what’s happening on the inside – not just the number on the scales.
Look after the body that looks after everyone else.
Where are you now?
A scan means something different at every stage.
Peri-menopause
Irregular cycles, hot flushes, sleep changes
See change as it starts.
Shifting oestrogen affects both bone and muscle. Knowing your baseline now helps you and your GP make informed choices about exercise, nutrition and menopause care.
Menopause
Twelve months since your last period
Measure where you stand.
The first years after your final period are when bone loss is fastest. A scan now shows where your bone, muscle and visceral fat sit, so you and your GP can act while it counts.
Post-menopause
Years on from your last period
Track what you keep.
Routine Medicare screening can still be ten years or more away. A scan now gives you and your GP a baseline to track bone and muscle against, and to guide exercise, nutrition and treatment choices.
Look after the body that looks after everyone else.
Pick a time that suits you and book online. A short health questionnaire goes to a radiologist, who issues your referral when a scan is appropriate for you. You do not wait for a referral before you book.
2
A quick, comfortable scan
A DEXA scan takes just a few minutes. You lie comfortably, fully clothed on the table. No needles, no claustrophobic tunnel.
3
Results explained in plain English
We walk you through what your numbers mean. Your results are added to your personal profile on the MeasureUp app for easy reference. A copy of the report is sent to your GP if requested.
Numbers are only useful if you know what to do next.
Your results give you and your health team a baseline to plan from.
Your GPYour menopause careStrength trainingNutritionBone healthGoals
Pricing
Bone density scan
Hip and spine bone density, reported by a radiologist. About 15 minutes.
$135
Body composition scan
A MeasureUp DEXA scan. Muscle, fat and visceral fat, with a summary of results. About 15 minutes.
$109
Healthy Ageing Assessment
Bone density and body composition in one visit, with a consult to explain your results. About 45 minutes.
$269
Prices do not include the referral, which we arrange for you when you book. Not Medicare-rebatable for most women under 70. Private health extras vary, so check your cover before you book.
Good to know
Low-dose X-ray. DEXA uses a very small amount of radiation. Less than a flight from Sydney to Brisbane.
Not suitable during pregnancy, or soon after some contrast or nuclear medicine tests. Tell us when you book and we will advise how long to wait.
Referrals: a bone density scan needs a referral in every state, and a body composition scan needs one in Victoria. We arrange both for you as part of booking.
Know your numbers in your 40s and 50s, not your 70s.
Look after the body that looks after everyone else.
A radiologist reviews every referral request. A scan is only provided where it is clinically appropriate. This page is general information, not medical advice; talk to your GP about your individual situation. ¹ healthdirect. Menopause. healthdirect.gov.au/menopause ² Australian Government, MBS Online. Changes to Medicare Benefits Schedule items for bone densitometry (item 12320, age 70 and over). mbsonline.gov.au ³ Better Health Channel, Victorian Government. Menopause and osteoporosis. betterhealth.vic.gov.au
