One out of every two women over the age of 50 will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime. Another 20 percent will die each year due to an osteoporosis-related complication, such as hip fracture. Unfortunately, many women do not realize they are at risk for osteoporosis until they suffer a fracture, and most are unaware of the devastating effects of the disease. Following are important facts every woman should know about osteoporotic fractures.

A "Break-Out" of Common Fractures
Osteoporosis causes 1.5 million fractures each year, most often in the hip, spine and wrist; consider the following statistics:

700,000 vertebral fractures

300,000 hip fractures

250,000 wrist fractures

300,000 other bone fractures

When Good Bones Go Bad
When bones become thin and weak due to osteoporosis, everyday activities such as walking - even sneezing - can cause them to fracture. The spine and hips, which directly support the body's weight, are at greatest risk.

Hip Fracture: A Bad Break
The risk of hip fracture for a woman is equivalent to her combined risk of breast, ovarian and uterine cancer

Each year, 65,000 women die due to complications from hip fracture

Half of hip fracture survivors are permanently incapacitated, and up to 40 percent cannot walk unaided in the year following fracture

Twenty percent of women require long-term care following hip fracture

According to one study, 80 percent of women over the age of 75 preferred death to a bad hip fracture resulting in nursing home care