A new study finds older women may be able to avoid these tests for 10 years if their previous screening scores didn't show signs of problems.
Researchers say, if a woman's bone density at age 67 is very good then she doesn't need to be rescreened in two years or three years, because it's not likely they would see much change.
The study found it would take 16 years for 10 percent of women in the highest bone density ranges to develop osteoporosis.
However, scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill say, older women in the lowest bone density range could be screened annually.
