A risk factor assessment is an important first step in alerting you to your risk for osteoporosis. However, it is not a scientific way to predict whether your bones will become porous. Many people who develop osteoporosis have only a few of the risk factors. This is why medical testing is so important. The tests are known as Bone Mineral Density (BMD) tests and are completely safe, painless, and accurate. A BMD test can tell you whether you have osteoporosis and how likely you are to develop it in the future, helping you make decisions that may prevent fractures or further bone loss.