Bone Health After 40: What Changes, and What to Do About It
← Back to Learn · By Kathryn Carter · Last updated: 16 August 2026
Bone is living tissue. It's constantly being broken down and rebuilt, and for most of your life those two processes stay roughly in balance.
Around menopause, that balance tips — and it tips faster than most women are told.
Why bone loss accelerates around menopause
Oestrogen slows the cells that break bone down. As oestrogen falls through perimenopause and the years immediately after your final period, those cells become more active while the rebuilding side doesn't keep pace.
The result is that bone loss is fastest in the first few years after menopause, then slows to a steadier rate. This is why the window either side of your final period matters disproportionately, and why it's worth acting before there's anything to react to.
Bone loss has no symptoms. You don't feel it happening. That's precisely the problem, and it's why the numbers below are worth knowing.
The Australian numbers
Most articles you'll find quote American figures. Australia has its own, set by the NHMRC.
Calcium — Recommended Dietary Intake for women
| Age | RDI |
|---|---|
| 19–50 | 1,000 mg/day |
| 51 and over | 1,300 mg/day |
| Upper level of intake | 2,500 mg/day |
Note the jump. The NHMRC increases the recommendation by 300mg at 51 specifically because of what happens at menopause — additional calcium is lost in urine and absorption tends to decrease.
Vitamin D — Adequate Intake for women
| Age | AI |
|---|---|
| 19–50 | 5 µg/day |
| 51–70 | 10 µg/day |
| Over 70 | 15 µg/day |
| Upper level of intake | 80 µg/day |
Getting 1,300mg of calcium from food
This is the part almost nobody makes concrete. Here's roughly what it takes.
| Food | Serve | Calcium |
|---|---|---|
| Milk | 250ml glass | ~300mg |
| Plain yoghurt | 200g tub | ~300mg |
| Hard cheese | 40g (two slices) | ~300mg |
| Calcium-fortified soy or oat milk | 250ml | ~300mg |
| Tinned salmon, with bones | 100g | ~300mg |
| Tinned sardines, with bones | 60g | ~300mg |
| Firm tofu (calcium-set) | 100g | ~300mg |
| Almonds | 60g | ~100mg |
| Cooked broccoli | 1 cup | ~60mg |
| Baked beans | 1 cup | ~80mg |
Four serves of the 300mg foods gets you to roughly 1,200mg, with the rest arriving from everything else you eat across the day. That's achievable — but it's four deliberate serves, every day, not most days. Many Australian women fall short, and the shortfall is usually invisible.
Vitamin D: sunlight isn't automatic, even here
Calcium is only useful if you can absorb it, and vitamin D is what makes that possible.
Australians assume sun exposure covers it. Often it doesn't. Sensible sun protection, indoor work, southern latitudes in winter, darker skin and simply being older all reduce how much vitamin D you make. Skin synthesis declines with age, which is why the recommended intake doubles at 51 and triples after 70.
If you're unsure where you sit, a blood test through your GP will tell you. It's a straightforward request.
The nutrients that get less attention
Calcium and vitamin D dominate the conversation, but bone isn't only minerals.
Vitamin K2 helps direct calcium into bone. It's under-discussed in mainstream bone advice, and it's a reasonable question to ask about any bone supplement you're considering.
Collagen makes up roughly a third of bone by weight and forms the flexible framework the minerals attach to. Bone that's mineral-dense but brittle isn't the goal.
Silicon and boron both play supporting roles in bone and connective tissue.
Protein matters more than most bone content acknowledges. Bone needs protein to build its collagen matrix, and adequate protein also preserves the muscle that loads and stimulates bone. More on protein after 40 here.
Movement does something nutrition can't
Bone responds to load. It's the only way to tell it to get stronger.
- Weight-bearing impact — walking, stair climbing, dancing, light jogging if your joints allow.
- Resistance training — two to three sessions a week. This is the strongest single lever available and the one most often skipped.
- Balance work — because the fracture usually arrives via a fall, and balance is trainable at any age.
Swimming and cycling are excellent for you, but they don't load bone. If they're your only exercise, add something that does.
Should you ask about a bone density scan?
A DXA scan is quick, painless and gives you a real number instead of a guess. It's worth raising with your GP if you've had early menopause, a fracture from a minor fall, a family history of osteoporosis, long-term corticosteroid use, coeliac disease or another condition affecting absorption, or if you're simply post-menopausal and want a baseline. Medicare eligibility criteria apply — your GP can advise.
Where MyPause Women's Bone Support fits
Women's Bone Support is a listed medicine — AUST L 473195 — formulated specifically for women in and after the menopause transition. One 7g serve daily provides:
| Ingredient | Per serve |
|---|---|
| Hydrolysed collagen (Fortibone®) | 5 g |
| Calcium (as hydroxyapatite) | 290 mg |
| Vitamin D3 | 25 µg |
| Vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7) | 180 µg |
| Boron | 3 mg |
| Silicon | 46.69 mg |
Being straight about the calcium. 290mg is roughly 22% of the 1,300mg daily target for women over 50. This is a top-up designed to sit alongside calcium-rich food, not a replacement for it. Any product claiming to cover your full daily calcium in a single small serve is worth a second look.
What the formulation supports:
- Calcium and vitamin D3 help maintain and support bone strength
- Vitamin D helps calcium absorption, and a diet deficient in calcium can lead to osteoporosis in later life
- A diet deficient in calcium can lead to osteoporosis in later life; calcium may help prevent osteoporosis when dietary intake is inadequate
- Nutrients to help maintain and support bone mineralisation
- Silicon to support collagen formation and connective tissue production
- Vitamin D3 and calcium to help maintain and support muscle function
Adults only. Contains sulfites. Vitamins and minerals can only be of assistance if dietary intake is inadequate. Always read the label and follow the directions for use.
Explore Women's Bone Support →
Common questions
How much calcium do I need after menopause in Australia?
The NHMRC Recommended Dietary Intake is 1,300mg per day for women aged 51 and over, up from 1,000mg for women 19–50. The upper level of intake is 2,500mg per day.
Can I get enough calcium from food alone?
Many women can, but it takes around four deliberate serves of calcium-rich food daily. If dairy is limited or your diet is inconsistent, a supplement can help close the gap alongside food rather than instead of it.
Do I need vitamin K2 with vitamin D?
K2 helps direct calcium into bone, and it's a fair question to ask of any bone product. It isn't in most standard calcium supplements. Women's Bone Support contains 180µg of menaquinone-7.
Is walking enough for bone health?
Walking is genuinely useful weight-bearing exercise and worth doing. But resistance training loads bone more effectively, and two to three sessions a week alongside walking is a considerably stronger combination.
When should I get a bone density scan?
Discuss it with your GP, particularly after early menopause, a low-trauma fracture, a family history of osteoporosis, or long-term corticosteroid use. Medicare eligibility criteria apply.