To establish a comprehensive model for peripheral phalangeal bone loss, bone mass was studied in 1984 and 1989 using quantitative microdensitometry (QMD) in a total of 330 healthy women (age range 43-78.7 years). Bone mass and changes in bone mass were analyzed in relation to age and menopausal status. Ideal and nonideal populations were distinguished to assess the effect of diseases and medication. Both groups showed a decrease in bone mass, which proved to be more dependent on menopausal status than on age. A substantial loss started in the ideal group in the early postmenopausal period and in the nonideal group in the premenopausal period. Because the nonideal group started to lose bone at an earlier stage, the lifetime risk for osteoporosis is higher than in the ideal group.