--- title: 'How Menopause Affects Your Bones and the Role of Calcium' slug: calcium-bone-health-menopause-nutrition lifeStage: menopause category: Nutrition medicalReviewer: 'Rose Constantine, Registered Nutritionist' reviewerId: 'https://blog.bloume.com/menopause/medical-board.md#rose-constantine' lastUpdated: '2026-08-12' primarySource: 'Prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in post menopausal women' wordCount: 1054 readTimeInSeconds: 263.5 --- # How Menopause Affects Your Bones and the Role of Calcium After menopause, your bones can lose density faster than at any other point in adult life. The drop in oestrogen upsets the balance between building bone and breaking it down, which raises your risk of osteoporosis. Calcium and vitamin D are the two nutrients most tied to slowing that down. This article looks at why bone loss speeds up, how to meet your calcium needs across different diets, and why vitamin D is what lets calcium do its job. **Q: How much calcium do I need per day during menopause?** A: The recommended daily amount of calcium for adults in the UK is 700mg. That holds through menopause just as it did before. A higher amount may be suggested if you are being treated for osteoporosis, but that is a decision to make with your GP or healthcare team, rather than a target to aim for on your own. The aches or tiredness you might put down to getting older can sometimes trace back to something quieter: the slow thinning of bone that starts to speed up around menopause. What you eat at this time of your life may carry more weight now than it did before. The shifts happening in your body at this stage change how quickly bone is lost and how well you use calcium, so calcium and bone health during menopause, and in the years after, become real nutritional priorities rather than a footnote. ## Why bone density falls after menopause Your bones are always changing. They are constantly broken down and rebuilt, a process called remodelling. Oestrogen plays a role in keeping that cycle balanced, in part by holding back how fast old bone is broken down. When oestrogen drops during menopause, bone breaks down faster than your body can rebuild it, and density falls. This faster loss can carry on in the years after menopause. Over time, that adds up and raises your risk of osteoporosis. ## Why osteoporosis is worth catching early Osteoporosis is when bones become less dense and more fragile, which makes them more likely to break. The fall in oestrogen around menopause can accelerate bone loss, which is one reason osteoporosis is more common in women after menopause. However, age, genetics, certain health conditions and some medications can also affect your risk. The tricky part is that it often gives no warning signs until a bone actually breaks. By the time you notice something, a fair amount of bone loss may already have happened. The most common places to break a bone are the hip, spine, and wrist. If you break a bone after a minor fall or knock once you are past 40, it can sometimes point to bone loss underneath. It is worth raising with your GP rather than putting it down to bad luck. > **INFO**: If you are worried about your fracture risk or bone density, speak to your GP. A bone density scan, also called a DEXA scan, can check your bone health and guide any next steps. ## How much calcium you need and where to find it In the UK, the recommended daily amount of calcium for adults is 700mg. That holds through menopause just as it did before. If you are already being treated for osteoporosis, a higher amount of around 1,000mg may be suggested, though that is a clinical decision rather than a general target. If you are under treatment, talk through your own calcium needs with your healthcare team rather than changing your intake on your own. ### Getting calcium from dairy Dairy is one of the richest sources of calcium in food. Milk, cheese, and yoghurt all add up nicely towards that daily 700mg, and they are easy to fit across your meals. ### Calcium without dairy If you eat plant-based or dairy-free, you can still get calcium from plenty of other foods. Green leafy vegetables like curly kale are useful. Spinach has a good reputation, but it is not a strong calcium source, because your body absorbs very little of the calcium in it. Calcium-set tofu, fortified soya drinks, and bread made with fortified flour are all dependable options. ### Other sources worth knowing about Fish you eat with the bones in, like sardines and pilchards, give you a good hit of calcium. Almonds and other nuts add to it too, so they are an easy thing to keep in a varied diet. ## Why calcium needs vitamin D to work Calcium on its own only does so much. Your body needs vitamin D to actually absorb the calcium from your food. Without enough vitamin D, even a calcium-rich diet works far less well, because much less of it gets absorbed. The recommended daily amount of vitamin D in the UK is 10 micrograms (µg). Sunlight on your skin is a main source, but between October and early March in the UK you cannot get enough from sunlight alone. The general advice is to consider a daily 10µg supplement through those months. > **INFO**: The 10µg figure is general public health advice. If you have a health condition, take regular medication, or already take supplements, check with your GP before adding vitamin D. There are not many foods that give you vitamin D. Oily fish like salmon and sardines provide useful amounts, and so do red meat and egg yolks. Some breakfast cereals and fat spreads have vitamin D added, which can help top up your intake, especially through the months when sunlight is in short supply. If anything about your bone health is on your mind, whether that is a recent fracture, a family history of osteoporosis, or doubt about your calcium or vitamin D intake, raise it at your next GP appointment. --- ## Frequently asked questions **Q: How much calcium do I need per day during menopause?** The recommended daily amount of calcium for adults in the UK is 700mg. That holds through menopause just as it did before. A higher amount may be suggested if you are being treated for osteoporosis, but that is a decision to make with your GP or healthcare team, rather than a target to aim for on your own. **Q: Can I get enough calcium if I do not eat dairy?** Yes. Calcium-set tofu, fortified soya drinks, curly kale, fortified bread, sardines with the bones in, pilchards, and almonds all give you calcium. Spinach is not a reliable source, because your body absorbs very little of the calcium in it. Spreading calcium foods across your meals through the day helps you absorb more. **Q: Do I need to take a vitamin D supplement?** The general advice is to consider a daily 10µg vitamin D supplement between October and early March, when sunlight in the UK is not enough to keep your levels up. This is broad public health guidance. If you have a health condition or take regular medication, check with your GP before you start. **Q: How does menopause affect bone density?** Oestrogen helps keep the balance between building bone and breaking it down. When oestrogen drops during menopause, bone breaks down faster than your body can rebuild it, so density falls over time. That is why bone health, calcium, and vitamin D matter more as nutritional considerations from perimenopause onwards. ### Clinical Sources - [Prevention and treatment of osteoporosis in post menopausal women](https://thebms.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/06-BMS-ConsensusStatement-Prevention-and-treatment-of-osteoporosis-in-women-SEPT2023-A.pdf) - [Nutritional considerations for dietitians](https://www.bda.uk.com/news-campaigns/campaigns/sustainable-september/nutritional-considerations-for-dietitians.html) - [Menopause and Bone Loss – Endocrine Society](https://www.endocrine.org/patient-engagement/endocrine-library/menopause-and-bone-loss) - [clevelandclinic.org](https://health.clevelandclinic.org/osteoporosis-and-menopause) - [Menopause and Bone Loss – Endocrine Society](https://www.endocrine.org/patient-engagement/endocrine-library/menopause-and-bone-loss) - [Vitamins and minerals: Calcium – NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/calcium/) - [Vitamins and minerals: Calcium – NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/calcium/) - [Vitamins and minerals: Calcium – NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/calcium/) - [Vitamins and minerals: Calcium – NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/calcium/) - [nih.gov](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2669834/) - [www.gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fortifying-food-and-drink-with-vitamin-d-a-sacn-rapid-review/fortifying-foods-and-drinks-with-vitamin-d-main-report) - [mayoclinic.com](https://store.mayoclinic.com/education/the-roles-of-calcium-vitamin-d-in-the-body/) --- Reviewed by Rose Constantine, Registered Nutritionist | [Medical Board](https://blog.bloume.com/menopause/medical-board.md) | August 2026