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Health risk tools

Get ready for FRAX: fracture risk

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Educational only, not a diagnosis. Educational information about published risk tools. Not medical advice or a diagnosis, and it does not create a doctor–patient relationship. Do not start, stop, or change any medication, including blood thinners, without your clinician. Everything you enter stays in this browser; nothing is sent anywhere. In an emergency, call 911.

FRAX gives two numbers: your 10-year chance of a hip fracture, and your 10-year chance of any major osteoporotic fracture (spine, forearm, hip or shoulder).

We don’t calculate FRAX here. Its formulas are owned by its developers and are not public. Use this checklist to gather your answers, then open the official calculator.

0 of 11 answers ready. Blank answers count as “no” in the official tool.

Open the official FRAX calculator ↗

Choose your country (for U.S. users, “USA”).

Understanding your two numbers

For postmenopausal women and men 50 or older with low bone mass (T-score between −1.0 and −2.5), the U.S. thresholds printed on the official tool are a 10-year hip risk of 3% or more, or a 10-year major-fracture risk of 20% or more. Treat these as conversation starters with your clinician, not as a reason to start or stop anything yourself.

FRAX may underestimate your risk if…

  • You broke a bone in the last 2 years, or have had several fractures or a spine or hip fracture.
  • You take high-dose steroids, have type 2 diabetes, or fall often (falls are not an input).
  • You have lost height.

Tell your doctor.

Where it does not apply

  • People already on osteoporosis treatment.
  • It is not a diagnosis of osteoporosis and does not replace a DXA scan.
  • Only the femoral-neck bone density is used.
  • Children, pregnancy, or acute fracture care.
  • U.S. race/ethnicity calculators are under review; ask your clinician about looking at a range.

Questions for your clinician

  • Should I have a DXA scan? What is my femoral-neck T-score?
  • Can we run FRAX with my bone density, and with FRAXplus adjustments if they apply to me?
  • Could any of my medicines or conditions be weakening my bones?
  • What is my fall risk?

Sources

  • Official calculator: fraxplus.org. FRAX® and FRAXplus® are trademarks of their owners; we are not affiliated and do not compute FRAX. FRAX is not a WHO tool.
  • U.S. thresholds as printed on the official tool (Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation).