The effect of lactation on the mineral distribution profile of the rat femur by single photon absorptiometry.

The distribution of bone mineral in excised femurs from lactating and nonlactating control rats was localized and quantitated using single photon absorptiometry. Bone mineral content was measured proximodistally in nine sequential 0.32 cm increments along the femur length and then plotted as a function of the distance from the proximal end of the femur. The plots described a mineral distribution profile and revealed that bone loss following lactation was site specific, being greater in the metaphyseal regions (23-36%) than in the diaphyseal area (14-20%). The change in total bone mineral of femur caused by lactation was estimated by integrating the mineral distribution profile plots. The 28% lower bone mineral determined by this method was in close agreement with the 27% difference determined from femur dry weight measurements. Reproducibility of measurements with 10 repositionings of a single femur was within 4% at all but the 2 most distal sites. Variation in the estimated total bone mineral was 1.3%.