Testing your bone density — how strong your bones are — is the only way to know for sure if you have osteoporosis. The most widely used is a scan called dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA or DEXA). The test determines bone health and your risk of fracture due to osteoporosis.

DXA scanning focuses on two main areas — the hip and the spine. If you can’t test those, you can get a DXA scan on your forearm. These areas can give your doctor a good idea of whether you’re likely to get fractures in other bones in your body.

For the results of your scan, you’ll get a T-score. It shows how much higher or lower your bone density is than that of a healthy 30-year-old, the age when bones are at their strongest. The lower your score, the weaker your bones are:

• T-score of -1.0 or above = normal bone density
• T-score between -1.0 and -2.5 = low bone density, or osteopenia
• T-score of -2.5 or lower = osteoporosis

Sometimes doctors will give you another DXA scan result — a Z score. It compares your bone density to a normal score for a person of your same age and body size.