BMD, the amount of bone you have in a given area, is measured at different parts of your body. Often, the measurements are at your spine and your hip, including a part of the hip called the femoral neck, at the top of the thighbone (femur). Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (referred to as DXA or DEXA) is the best current test to measure BMD.

The test is quick and painless. It is similar to an X-ray, but uses much less radiation. Even so, pregnant women should not have this test to avoid any risk of harming the fetus. DXA test results are scored compared with the BMD of young, healthy people. These results are reported as a measure called a T-score. The scoring is as follows: