What is a bone density test?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
A bone density test - the DEXA or DXA scan - is a quick, low-dose x-ray that measures the minerals packed into your hip and spine bones. The result shows whether bone is normal, thinned (osteopenia), or brittle (osteoporosis). It matters because osteoporosis is silent until the first fracture, and the scan finds the thinning years earlier, when treatment can still change the trajectory.
What to do
- Ask about timing. Routine screening centers on women over 65; risk factors like steroid use or early menopause move it earlier.
- Expect an easy test. Minutes long, no needles, no tunnel - you lie on a table while the scanner passes over you.
- Act on osteopenia. Thinning that has not reached osteoporosis still responds to calcium, vitamin D, and weight-bearing exercise.
- Treat confirmed osteoporosis. Medication plus lifestyle change cuts fracture risk - the hip fracture is the outcome to prevent.
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