Short answer: How often you should have a DEXA scan depends on the type of scan, why you are having it and whether you are monitoring changes over time. Bone Density DEXA scans may be repeated after a period recommended by your healthcare professional, while Total Body Composition DEXA scans may be repeated approximately every 3 to 6 months when you are actively making changes to your nutrition, exercise, weight or lifestyle and want to monitor changes in your body composition.
Long answer:
DEXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) can be used to assess both bone density and body composition, but how often a scan should be repeated depends on what you are measuring.
A person monitoring their bone density for osteoporosis risk, for example, may have a very different reason for repeating a scan than someone tracking changes in muscle mass and body fat during a weight management or exercise program.
There is therefore no single DEXA scanning schedule that is appropriate for everyone.
How Often Should You Have a Bone Density DEXA Scan?
A Bone Density DEXA Scan measures Bone Mineral Density (BMD), usually at the hip and lumbar spine, and can help identify reduced bone density, osteopenia and osteoporosis.
The appropriate interval between scans depends on factors such as:
- Your age
- Your initial bone density results
- Whether you have osteopenia or osteoporosis
- Your individual fracture risk
- Previous fractures
- Menopause and other hormonal factors
- Medical conditions that may affect bone health
- Medications that can affect bone density
- Whether you are receiving treatment for osteoporosis
- Whether the result is likely to influence your clinical management
For some people, repeating a Bone Density DEXA Scan after a few years may be appropriate. For others, a longer interval may be recommended.
People receiving treatment for osteoporosis or those with particular clinical risk factors may require monitoring at different intervals.
Your GP or other treating healthcare professional can help determine an appropriate timeframe based on your individual circumstances.
Why Aren’t Bone Density Scans Usually Repeated Too Frequently?
Changes in bone mineral density generally occur gradually.
Repeating a Bone Density DEXA Scan too soon may not provide enough meaningful new information to distinguish a genuine change in bone density from normal measurement variation.
For this reason, the timing of repeat scans should be based on your individual risk factors, previous results and clinical circumstances rather than simply having a scan at the same time every year.
How Often Should You Have a Total Body Composition DEXA Scan?
A Total Body Composition DEXA Scan measures different information from a Bone Density DEXA Scan.
It can provide detailed information about:
- Lean muscle mass
- Body fat percentage
- Fat mass
- Visceral fat
- Fat distribution
- Bone mineral content
- Regional body composition
Body composition can change more quickly than bone density, particularly when someone is making significant changes to their nutrition, exercise or body weight.
If you are actively making lifestyle changes, such as changing your nutrition, starting or progressing an exercise program, working towards weight management goals or focusing on building or maintaining muscle, repeating a Total Body Composition DEXA Scan approximately every 3 to 6 months may provide a useful way to monitor changes over time.
For people who are not actively making significant lifestyle or body composition changes, there is generally less reason to repeat a Body Composition DEXA Scan this frequently.
When Might You Repeat a Body Composition DEXA Scan?
A repeat scan may be useful when you have been actively working towards a goal and enough time has passed for meaningful changes in body composition to occur.
This may include:
- Following changes to nutrition or lifestyle
- A structured exercise or strength-training program
- Weight management
- Significant weight loss
- Use of GLP-1 medications
- Sports training
- Rehabilitation or return to exercise
- Healthy ageing and maintaining muscle mass
For people actively making these types of changes, repeating a scan every 3 to 6 months may help show whether changes in body weight are coming from fat mass, lean muscle mass or a combination of both.
The most appropriate timeframe will still depend on your individual circumstances and goals. The aim is not to scan as frequently as possible, but to allow enough time between assessments for meaningful changes to occur.
Why Is Having a Baseline DEXA Scan Useful?
One of the benefits of DEXA is the ability to establish a baseline.
A baseline provides a starting point that future results can be compared against.
For Bone Density DEXA, this may help monitor changes in bone mineral density over time.
For Total Body Composition DEXA, a baseline may help you see whether changes in body weight are coming from fat mass, lean mass or a combination of both.
This can be particularly useful because the number on the scales does not show what is happening to your body composition.
Why Is Consistency Important When Comparing DEXA Scans?
If you are using DEXA to monitor changes over time, consistency can help make comparisons more meaningful.
Where possible, follow-up scans should be performed under similar conditions and using the same equipment and scanning protocols.
For body composition assessments, factors such as hydration, recent food intake and exercise can influence measurements. Following the preparation instructions provided before your scan can therefore help improve consistency between assessments.
For bone density monitoring, using the same facility and DEXA system where practical can also assist with comparison of results over time.
Is It Safe to Have Repeat DEXA Scans?
DEXA uses a very low dose of ionising radiation, substantially lower than many other medical imaging procedures.
However, as with any procedure involving ionising radiation, scans should still have an appropriate reason and provide useful information.
The goal is not to have DEXA scans as frequently as possible, but to repeat them when the results are likely to provide meaningful information about changes in your bone density or body composition.
Key Takeaways
- There is no single DEXA scanning schedule that is right for everyone.
- Bone Density and Total Body Composition DEXA scans measure different things and may be repeated at different intervals.
- Bone density generally changes gradually, so Bone Density DEXA scans are not usually repeated frequently without a clinical reason.
- If you are actively making changes to your nutrition, exercise, weight or lifestyle, a Total Body Composition DEXA Scan may be repeated approximately every 3 to 6 months to monitor changes over time.
- People who are not actively making significant body composition changes generally do not need to repeat Body Composition DEXA scans this frequently.
- Your initial results, health history, risk factors and goals should help determine when a repeat scan may be useful.
- Establishing a baseline can make it easier to monitor meaningful changes over time.
- Consistency between scans is important when comparing results.
How WLC Medical Can Help
At WLC Medical in Belmont, we offer both Bone Density DEXA Scans and Total Body Composition DEXA Scans, which can be performed individually or together depending on what you would like to assess.
For people wanting a broader understanding of their body composition, metabolism or bone health, we also offer:
- DEXA Sports Package – combines a Total Body Composition DEXA Scan with ECAL Resting Metabolic Rate testing.
- Health Insights Package – combines a Bone Density DEXA Scan, Total Body Composition DEXA Scan and ECAL Resting Metabolic Rate testing.
If you have had a previous DEXA assessment, your results can also provide a useful baseline for monitoring changes over time.
Related Articles
Continue learning about DEXA, bone health and body composition:
- Do I Need a GP Referral for a DEXA Scan?
- Bone Density Scan vs Body Composition Scan: Which DEXA Scan Is Right for You?
- Who Should Have a Bone Density Scan?
- Osteopenia vs Osteoporosis: What’s the Difference?
- Why Body Weight Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
Thinking About a Repeat DEXA Scan?
If you’ve previously had a DEXA scan and are unsure whether it may be useful to repeat your assessment, our team at WLC Medical can provide information about the different DEXA assessment options available.
To speak with our friendly team or book an appointment, call (08) 6263 7778, or book online through our website.
If you are monitoring osteoporosis, reduced bone density or another medical condition, your GP or treating healthcare professional can advise you on an appropriate timeframe for repeat Bone Density DEXA testing based on your individual circumstances.
References
- Healthy Bones Australia. Guidance on bone density testing and osteoporosis.
- Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). Osteoporosis prevention, diagnosis and management in postmenopausal women and men over 50 years of age.
- International Society for Clinical Densitometry (ISCD). Official Positions.
- Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA). Information relating to medical imaging and ionising radiation.
- Peer-reviewed research and clinical guidance relating to repeat Bone Mineral Density measurement and DEXA body composition assessment.
Last reviewed: September 2026
This article is intended for general educational purposes only and should not replace personalised medical advice. If you have questions about your bone health, body composition or how often a DEXA scan may be appropriate for you, please speak with your GP or another qualified healthcare professional.
