OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of multiparity on bone mass of the axial skeleton in a population of women of high parity. DESIGN: Open study of Omani women. SETTING: Medical physics department and clinical physiology department of a third degree referral (university) hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A consecutive series of 159 normal women referred with low back pain over a period of six months. RESULTS: The bone mineral density was measured with dual-photon absorptiometry and the mean was found to be 0.984 (+/-0.166) (+/- SD) g cm-2. The age ranged from 20 to 70 years with a mean age of 43.4 (+/- 12.5) years. The number of children per woman ranged from 0 to 14 with a mean of 5.1 (+/- 3.5). There was no statistically significant influence of the number of children per woman on bone mineral density but there was a strong correlation with age and body size variables. CONCLUSION: Multiparity does not influence lumbar spine bone mineral density in normal women.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of multiparity on bone mass of the axial skeleton in a population of women of high parity. DESIGN: Open study of Omani women. SETTING: Medical physics department and clinical physiology department of a third degree referral (university) hospital. PARTICIPANTS: A consecutive series of 159 normal women referred with low back pain over a period of six months. RESULTS: The bone mineral density was measured with dual-photon absorptiometry and the mean was found to be 0.984 (+/-0.166) (+/- SD) g cm-2. The age ranged from 20 to 70 years with a mean age of 43.4 (+/- 12.5) years. The number of children per woman ranged from 0 to 14 with a mean of 5.1 (+/- 3.5). There was no statistically significant influence of the number of children per woman on bone mineral density but there was a strong correlation with age and body size variables. CONCLUSION: Multiparity does not influence lumbar spine bone mineral density in normal women.