Abstract
A total of 489 elderly women aged 65-75 yr who participated in a 3-yr, randomized, blinded osteoporosis trial underwent measurements of serum estradiol, bioavailable estradiol, and SHBG. At baseline, bone mineral density (BMD) was lower at the femoral sites (7-19%, P <0.05), total body (6-8%, P <0.05), and spine (5-9%, P = 0.2) in women in the lowest tertile for serum total estradiol [165 nmol/liter), compared with women in the highest tertiles of total estradiol [>13.3 pg/ml (49 pmol/ liter)] and bioavailable estradiol [>4 pg/ml (14 pmol/liter)] or lowest tertile for SHBG (