The new study, published in the January issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology, compared the rate of bone fractures among former college athletes and nonathletes both before and after menopause. While the athletes had a higher rate of bone fractures of all types because of injuries associated with exercise, when the researchers accounted for physical activity, there was no signficant difference between the rates of fractures for women athletes and those who didn't exercise either before or after menopause.