From earth to Mars: sex differences and their implications for musculoskeletal health

Historically, most diagnostic and treatment modalities have been based on a male model. Osteoporosis is one of the few diseases in which there has been sex-based research and treatment bias in favor of women. As such, it is not known whether treatments developed for women will be efficacious for men. Similarly, scientists are just beginning to research whether sex-based differences in musculoskeletal health exist with extended space travel. Both women and men lose muscle and bone with extended space travel, but the low numbers of female astronauts combined with a lack of discrete data make it challenging to accurately pinpoint sex-based differences. More data collection is needed to ensure that the musculoskeletal health of astronauts is better managed both on earth and in space.