Table 1

In- and exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria

• Women aged 45 to70 years
• Natural or surgical menopause = 1 year
• T-Score between 0.0 and -2.49 (spine or proximal femur – total or femoral neck, measured by DXA)

Exclusion criteria

• Osteoporosis (T-score = -2.5 in spine or proximal femur – total or femoral neck, measured by DXA)
• Severe vertebral fracture, as identified by screening DXA assessment
• Any history of metabolic disease that could affect bone metabolism: hyperparathyroidism, osteogenesis imperfecta, Paget's disease, osteomalacia
• Thyroid disease (if receiving thyroid hormone replacement, the patients must be euthyroid and on a stable dose of thyroid hormone)
• Impaired renal function (estimated creatinine clearance <30 ml/min)
• History of previous or active malignancy of any organ system, treated or untreated, within the past 5 years.
• History of corticosteroid treatments during 6 months or more, daily dosage >5 mg
• BMI < 18 or >30 kg/m2
• Treatments with estrogens, SERMs, tibolone, calcitonin, strontium ranelate, teriparatide or PTH, or oral bisphosphonates in the previous year, if duration > 2 weeks. Treatment with iv bisphosphonates or iv calcitonin of any duration in the previous year

Richert et al. Trials 2008 9:19   doi:10.1186/1745-6215-9-19