To ensure patients and physicians make appropriate choices with regard to postmenopausal osteoporosis, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) has introduced The 2001 AACE Medical Guidelines for Clinical Practice for the Prevention and Management of Postmenopausal Osteoporosis. The guidelines provide a unified approach to osteoporosis management and are based on comprehensive review of current medical literature. Following are specific recommendations:

Who Should Be Evaluated

All adult women with a history of fractures from everyday activity

All women who are at risk for fractures at the start of menopause

All women 65 and older

Testing For Osteoporosis

• Bone Mineral Density (BMD) is the most accurate way to confirm a diagnosis of osteoporosis and determine its severity, assess fracture risk, identify patients requiring intervention and measure changes in bone mass over time in treated and untreated patients. AACE recommends bone density testing for the following patients:
  
  Perimenopausal/postmenopausal women at risk for fractures who are willing to consider treatment
  
  Women who have underlying conditions or are taking medications that cause bone loss
  
  Women undergoing osteoporosis treatment, to measure therapeutic response
  
  All women age 40 and older who have suffered a fracture