DEXA Bone Density & Visceral Fat Analysis in Portland & Lake Oswego

At HormoneSynergy® Longevity Medicine, we use Hologic® DEXA imaging to evaluate bone density, whole-body composition, lean mass, fat mass, and visceral fat. The scan provides objective information that cannot be obtained from body weight, BMI, or appearance alone.

DEXA testing is available to both established patients and non-patients at our Lake Oswego clinic near Portland, Oregon. It can be used to establish a baseline, identify previously unrecognized bone or metabolic risk, and track meaningful changes over time.

What Is Included in the $200 DEXA Package?

The complete self-pay package includes:

• Hologic® DEXA bone density scan
• Whole-body DEXA composition scan
• Visceral fat analysis
• Total and regional body-fat measurements
• Lean-mass and muscle-distribution measurements
• SECA body composition analysis
• Printed bone-density and body-composition reports
• An educational results handout
• A brief explanation of the reports with a medical assistant

The reports are yours to keep and may be shared with your physician, physical therapist, trainer, nutrition professional, or other healthcare provider.

DEXA Pricing

DEXA is offered as a self-pay service. HormoneSynergy® is not contracted with insurance providers and does not submit insurance claims. HSA or FSA funds may be eligible, but reimbursement is not guaranteed.

What Does the Bone Density Scan Measure?

DEXA is widely regarded as the clinical standard for measuring bone mineral density. The scan typically evaluates clinically relevant skeletal regions such as the lumbar spine and hips, depending on the examination performed and the patient’s circumstances.

The bone-density portion of the report may include:

• Bone mineral density for the measured regions
• T-scores when appropriate, comparing bone density with that of a healthy young-adult reference population
• Z-scores when appropriate, comparing results with an age-matched reference population
• Low bone mass or osteoporosis classifications when applicable
• Comparison with previous studies when technically comparable prior scans are available

DEXA can help identify osteopenia or osteoporosis before a fracture occurs. Results must still be interpreted alongside age, medical history, medications, hormone status, family history, previous fractures, nutrition, physical activity, and other clinical risk factors.

What Does the Whole-Body Composition Scan Measure?

The whole-body Hologic® DEXA scan measures the distribution of bone, fat, and lean tissue throughout the body. Depending on the report, findings may include:

• Total body-fat percentage and fat mass
• Total lean mass
• Regional lean and fat mass in the arms, legs, and trunk
• Appendicular lean mass, which can help evaluate muscle preservation
• Android and gynoid fat distribution
• Left-to-right differences in regional body composition
• Visceral adipose tissue estimates

These measurements may be useful for people working on muscle preservation, strength, healthy aging, hormone optimization, metabolic health, or medically supervised weight loss.

What Does Visceral Fat Analysis Show?

Visceral fat is stored within the abdominal cavity around internal organs. It differs from subcutaneous fat, which is stored beneath the skin. Higher visceral-fat levels are associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, inflammation, and cardiovascular risk.

Someone can have a relatively normal body weight or BMI and still carry an unfavorable amount of visceral fat. Conversely, body weight alone cannot show whether weight loss is coming from fat, muscle, or both.

DEXA visceral-fat analysis provides an imaging-based estimate that can help establish a baseline and monitor change. It is a risk marker, not a diagnosis by itself.

Why Include SECA Body Composition Testing?

SECA medical body composition analysis complements DEXA by providing additional information about muscle mass, fat mass, body water, and related body-composition patterns. It is also practical for more frequent monitoring between DEXA scans.

DEXA provides the imaging-based baseline. SECA can help track shorter-term changes during nutrition, strength-training, hormone, or weight-management programs without repeating an imaging study every few weeks.

Learn more about SECA Body Composition Testing in Portland and Lake Oswego.

How to Prepare for Your DEXA Scan

DEXA requires relatively little preparation. For the most useful and reproducible results:

• Avoid calcium supplements for 24 hours before the scan unless your healthcare provider gives you different instructions.
• Wear comfortable clothing without metal, including metal zippers, snaps, buttons, underwire, or large buckles.
• Remove jewelry and metal objects that could interfere with imaging.
• Tell our staff if you may be pregnant. DEXA uses a very low dose of ionizing radiation and is generally avoided during pregnancy unless specifically medically indicated.
• Tell us about recent contrast or nuclear medicine studies, including CT contrast, barium studies, or isotope examinations, because these may affect scheduling.
• Bring information about previous DEXA scans when available, especially if the goal is comparison over time.
• Maintain reasonably consistent hydration, meals, and exercise conditions when repeating body-composition scans, since short-term changes can affect lean-mass and body-water measurements.

Fasting is generally not required for a standard bone-density scan. Patients completing whole-body composition testing should follow any preparation instructions provided when scheduling so future scans can be performed under similar conditions.

What Happens During the Scan?

You will lie on an open, padded examination table while the scanner arm passes above the body. The scanner does not enclose you like an MRI machine, and the examination is painless.

Positioning depends on the components being measured. Bone-density imaging may involve positioning the legs or hips so the lumbar spine and hip can be measured accurately. A whole-body scan requires lying still while the scanner measures bone, lean tissue, and fat distribution.

The scan uses a low dose of radiation. The full appointment is generally brief, although the exact time depends on positioning, the number of measurements performed, and whether SECA testing is included.

What Will Be in My Reports?

The $200 package includes printed reports covering the bone-density, whole-body composition, visceral-fat, and SECA findings generated during your testing.

Your reports may show:

• Bone mineral density for the measured skeletal regions
• T-scores or Z-scores when appropriate
• Bone-density classifications when applicable
• Total and regional body-fat measurements
• Total and regional lean-mass measurements
• Visceral-fat estimates
• Body-fat distribution patterns
• SECA muscle, fat, and body-composition measurements
• Comparison data when an appropriate previous study is available

A HormoneSynergy® medical assistant will provide a brief explanation of how to read the reports. This educational explanation is not the same as a complete physician interpretation or individualized treatment recommendation.

Report Explanation vs. Clinical Interpretation

The included staff explanation helps you locate and understand the major measurements in your reports. Patients who want a detailed clinical interpretation with individualized recommendations may schedule a separate appointment with Dr. Kathryn Retzler for an additional $100.

During a physician interpretation, results can be considered alongside medical history, medications, hormones, laboratory findings, nutrition, exercise, previous fractures, metabolic risk, and other relevant clinical factors.

Established concierge patients may have DEXA findings reviewed by Dr. Retzler within their broader care plan when clinically appropriate.

Who May Benefit From DEXA Testing?

• Women approaching or following menopause
• Men with age-related or hormone-related bone concerns
• Adults with a personal or family history of osteoporosis or fracture
• People using medications or undergoing treatments that may affect bone density
• Patients concerned about loss of muscle or sarcopenia
• People tracking visceral fat or metabolic health
• Patients working on fat loss while preserving lean mass
• Adults participating in a strength-training or body-recomposition program
• Patients receiving hormone or medically supervised weight-management care
• Anyone who wants a more meaningful baseline than body weight or BMI alone

DEXA for Weight Loss and Muscle Preservation

Weight loss does not automatically mean improved body composition. A person may lose fat, lean tissue, water, or a combination of all three. This distinction becomes especially important during calorie restriction, aging, illness, or treatment with a GLP-1 medication.

DEXA and SECA testing can help determine whether a weight-management program is reducing visceral and total fat while preserving muscle. Patients pursuing medically supervised weight loss can learn more about the HormoneSynergy® GLP-1 Weight Loss for Longevity™ Program.

DEXA Within Longevity Medicine

Bone strength, muscle mass, body-fat distribution, and metabolic health are closely connected to long-term function and independence. DEXA can provide useful objective data, but it does not replace a broader medical evaluation.

For patients who want a multi-system baseline that includes advanced laboratory testing, cardiovascular evaluation, cognitive screening, DEXA, and body-composition testing, explore the HormoneSynergy® Optimal Aging Assessment.

Portland and Lake Oswego DEXA FAQs

How much is a DEXA scan at HormoneSynergy®?

The complete DEXA and SECA package is $200. It includes Hologic® bone-density testing, whole-body composition, visceral-fat analysis, SECA testing, printed reports, an educational handout, and a brief explanation with a medical assistant.

Can I schedule a DEXA scan if I am not a HormoneSynergy® patient?

Yes. DEXA testing is available as a stand-alone self-pay service to both established patients and non-patients.

Where is the DEXA scanner located?

Testing is performed at HormoneSynergy® in Lake Oswego, Oregon. We serve patients from Portland, West Linn, Tualatin, Tigard, Oregon City, and surrounding communities.

Is a physician interpretation included in the $200 price?

The $200 package includes printed reports, an educational handout, and a brief explanation with a medical assistant. A separate detailed interpretation with Dr. Kathryn Retzler is available for an additional $100.

Does the scan include both bone density and visceral fat?

Yes. The complete package includes bone-density testing, whole-body composition, visceral-fat analysis, and SECA body composition testing.

Can I get only a whole-body composition scan?

Yes. A whole-body scan without bone-density testing is available for $100 and includes the generated reports and educational explanation.

Do I need a physician referral?

HormoneSynergy® offers DEXA as a stand-alone service. Contact the clinic before scheduling if you have specific medical concerns, may be pregnant, recently completed a contrast study, or need the scan for a particular diagnostic or treatment purpose.

Do I need to fast before my DEXA scan?

Fasting is generally not required for standard bone-density testing. Follow the preparation instructions provided when scheduling, particularly when completing whole-body composition testing or comparing results over time.

What should I wear?

Wear comfortable clothing without metal zippers, snaps, underwire, or large buttons. Jewelry and other metal objects may need to be removed before scanning.

How long does the appointment take?

The imaging itself is brief. Appointment length depends on positioning, the measurements performed, and whether SECA testing is included.

Will I receive my reports?

Yes. The $200 package includes printed reports that you can keep and share with your healthcare provider.

Does HormoneSynergy® accept insurance for DEXA?

No. DEXA is offered as a self-pay service, and HormoneSynergy® does not bill insurance. HSA or FSA funds may be eligible, but reimbursement is not guaranteed.

How often should I repeat a DEXA scan?

The appropriate interval depends on age, baseline bone density, treatment, medical risk, and the reason for testing. Body-composition goals may involve a different monitoring interval than medically indicated bone-density follow-up. A healthcare professional can help determine an appropriate schedule.

HormoneSynergy® Longevity Medicine • Lake Oswego & Portland, Oregon • DEXA • Bone Density • Body Composition • Visceral Fat