Evaluation of bone density with peripheral quantitative computed tomography in healthy premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women.

We compared bone mass in premenopausal, perimenopausal, and postmenopausal women using peripheral quantitative computed tomography to measure separately cortical, trabecular, and total bone density. Trabecular bone density was lower (p < 0.05) in the perimenopausal women than in the healthy premenopausal women. In perimenopausal women, trabecular bone density showed a significant linear regression with age (r = 0.554, p < 0.001), but cortical bone density did not (r = 0.130, p = 0.447). The group of postmenopausal women had significantly lower bone mass in all three bone compartments than the premenopausal and perimenopausal women. These findings confirm the existence of a significant loss of trabecular bone mass in the perimenopausal period.