Pregnancy Associated Osteoporosis (PAO) study
This study aims to find out more about the causes of Pregnancy Associated Osteoporosis, the natural history of the disease and its response to treatment.
Pregnancy Associated Osteoporosis (PAO) is a rare condition which is thought to affect between 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 100,000 women during or shortly after childbirth. It usually presents with back pain and height loss due to the occurrence of fractures (broken bones) in the spine, but less commonly can also present with fractures of the hip.
The cause of PAO is unclear but there are two theories as to why it occurs. One is that pregnancy triggers an unusual reaction in a previously normal skeleton causing the bones to weaken and break. The second is that affected women start off with low bone density to begin with and that the bone loss which normally occurs in pregnancy causes further bone thinning and results in broken bones.
One of the barriers to finding out more about PAO lies in the fact that it is extremely rare. A research team at the University of Edinburgh, led by Professor Stuart H Ralston have been funded by the Royal Osteoporosis Society to find out more out this rare but disabling condition.
The research study involves gathering information about the risk factors for Pregnancy Associated Osteoporosis, potential risk factors for the disease, how the condition presents and the impact that it has on physical and mental health of people affected.
If you have been affected by pregnancy- associated osteoporosis, we would be very grateful if you could spare 10-15 minutes to take the online survey we have developed by following the link below. If you are a healthcare professional, who has treated someone with PAO please encourage your patients to complete the survey.
Survey for people with PAO
Nominate a Friend
We are also asking anyone who has experienced pregnancy associated osteoporosis to nominate a friend who had a pregnancy around the same time as them but who were not affected by pregnancy associated osteoporosis. The reason for this is so we can compare the characteristics of people who have PAO with those who do not (so called controls). If you have recently had a pregnancy but who have not experienced PAO please follow the link below to complete the control survey.