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BBC’s Casualty explores Pregnancy Associated Osteoporosis

Media releases | Impact

18 Jan 2022

An episode of the long-running hospital drama, Casualty, which aired on Saturday (15 January) explored the rare condition, Pregnancy Associated Osteoporosis (PAO).

There are many things that are still unknown about PAO, which is where bones break easily, usually in the spine or occasionally the hip around the time a woman is giving birth. The Royal Osteoporosis Society’s (ROS) Osteoporosis and Bone Research Academy has launched the largest ever survey into the condition. The survey is aiming to increase understanding with the intention of improving diagnosis and approaches to treatment.

It is not clear why some women suddenly develop symptoms around the time of pregnancy, but the condition isn’t believed to be age-related as there doesn’t seem to be a particular age when women are more at risk. Fractures associated with pregnancy seem to be most common in first pregnancies, although some women have experienced fractures in second or third pregnancies after a first pregnancy without any fractures.

Although the condition can be frightening and upsetting, in most cases the broken bones heal in the normal way and women often recover and return to their previous quality of life. Read our blogs to hear more about people’s experience of this condition.

Craig Jones, ROS Chief Executive, said:
“Despite affecting over 3.5 million people in the UK, osteoporosis suffers from under-diagnosis and under-treatment due to low public awareness, so it’s good to see prominent programmes highlighting the condition. Although dramas are a work of fiction, we recognise that they have an important part to play in representing the experiences of some individuals.

“We’d like to remind people that osteoporosis associated with pregnancy is a very unusual situation that can occur in otherwise apparently healthy women, and symptoms and experiences can vary from person to person. Many women also return to a fit and active lifestyle after fractures heal and bone density improves.”

Read more about PAO or speak to a specialist nurse on our free Helpline by calling 0808 800 0035 or emailing nurses@theros.org.uk. If you are concerned about PAO, please discuss it with your healthcare professional.

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