Stethoscope overlaying a printed heart rate chart

The FRAX® tool, an osteoporosis risk assessment test, uses information about your bone density and other risk factors for breaking a bone to estimate your 10-year fracture risk. Your FRAX® score estimates your chance of breaking a hip as well as your combined chance of breaking a hip or other major bones over the next ten years. Other major bones include the spine, hip, forearm and shoulder.

The FRAX® tool can be used to guide treatment decisions in people who meet the following three conditions:

  • Postmenopausal women or men age 50 and older
  • People with low bone density (osteopenia)
  • People who have not taken an osteoporosis medicine


FRAX Tool

If you have low bone density (osteopenia), your DXA report may include your FRAX® score along with your bone density. If it doesn’t, your healthcare provider can find out your FRAX® score using a web-based version.

Credit for image used on this page: Image used with permission of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, University of Sheffield. FRAX® is registered to Professor JA Kanis, University of Sheffield.

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