Changes in bone mineral density and bone turnover markers during treatment with teriparatide in pregnancy- and lactation-associated osteoporosis

Context: Teriparatide (TPTD) therapy has been proposed as a potential treatment strategy in severe cases of pregnancy- and lactation-associated osteoporosis (PLO) characterized by the occurrence of fragility fractures in the third trimester or early postpartum. Objective: To investigate the changes in bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers in patients with PLO with and without TPTD treatment. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Patients: Thirty-two patients with PLO who presented with multiple vertebral fractures to a tertiary institution between 2007 and 2015 were included. Measurements: Changes in BMD at the lumbar spine (LSBMD) and proximal femur after 12 months of daily subcutaneous injections of 20 μg TPTD (n = 27) were assessed. Subjects who rejected the TPTD treatment were used as controls (n = 5). Results: LSBMD increased in both subjects treated with TPTD and controls, with greater increases in the TPTD group (15.5 ± 6.6% vs 7.5 ± 7.1%, P =.020) after adjustment for age and baseline LSBMD. During follow-up, serum levels of osteocalcin (OCN) and C-telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX) increased significantly in the TPTD group. In multivariate linear regression models, TPTD treatment (adjusted β = 7.92, P =.032) and younger age (adjusted β = 1.06, P =.046), but not baseline LSBMD, body mass index, serum OCN level and CTX level, were independently associated with greater increases in LSBMD. Conclusions: In patients with PLO, LSBMD at 12 months increased in both the TPTD-treated and control groups. TPTD treatment and younger age were associated with greater increases in LSMBD irrespective of baseline LSBMD.