How To Find Imaging & Lab Menopause Services in Colorado

As your body moves through perimenopause and menopause, you may notice new symptoms or changes in your health that deserve a closer look. Imaging and lab services can help you and your healthcare provider understand what’s happening inside your body.

If you live in Colorado, you have access to many high-quality imaging centers that offer these tests in comfortable, modern settings. Whether you’re in Denver, Boulder, or Colorado Springs, many clinics now make it easier to schedule and complete these studies, with options for telehealth orders and fast electronic results.

Below, you’ll find a practical guide to the main imaging and lab services used during menopause, what each test does, whether you need a referral, and where to find trusted centers across Colorado.

Bone Density Scan (DEXA)

During and after menopause, declining estrogen levels can speed up bone loss. This makes you more likely to develop osteoporosis, a condition where bones become fragile and break more easily. A DEXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan can reveal early bone changes before symptoms appear, giving you time to act with lifestyle changes, supplements or medications. Women with early menopause, family history of fractures, or other risk factors may need this test earlier than the standard guideline (often age 65).

A bone density scan, also called a DEXA scan, is a painless imaging test that measures how strong your bones are. The scan uses a very low dose of X-rays to check mineral density in specific areas of your bones, most often the hips and spine. This helps your provider understand how your bone density compares with the peak bone density seen in healthy women in their 20s and 30s (when bone strength is highest). The scan takes less than 30 minutes and gives valuable information about your bone health and fracture risk.

Do you need a provider visit or referral?

Accessing a bone density scan in Colorado often does require a referral, but many imaging providers can accept orders from your primary care doctor, OB/GYN or a telehealth clinician like those at Inflexxion Health. Insurance usually covers the test if you meet age or risk-based guidelines. Some imaging centers also offer self-pay or cash-pay options if you don’t yet meet the insurance criteria.

How a DEXA scan is performed

You’ll lie flat on a padded table while a low-dose X-ray arm slowly moves above you. The scan focuses on key areas like your hips and spine to measure bone mineral density. It’s completely painless and doesn’t require any special prep. You can eat, drink and take your usual medications beforehand.

Colorado DEXA locations

Here are some known Colorado sites offering DEXA / bone density scans:

• Invision Sally Jobe – They offer DEXA scans at offices in Littleton, Aurora, Denver, Parker, Golden, Greenwood Village and Sky Ridge (Lone Tree). invisionsallyjobe.com
  
  
• Boulder Community Health Imaging – Provides bone density scans (DEXA) at Boulder, Erie and Lafayette locations. Boulder Community Health
  
  
• Health Images – Offers bone density (DEXA) scans in Denver, Colorado Springs and surrounding areas. Health Images

Mammograms / Breast Imaging

A mammogram is a specialized X-ray that creates detailed images of your breasts. It’s the most widely used screening tool for detecting breast cancer early, even before you can feel a lump. The test involves placing the breast between two plates for a few seconds while the machine takes images. While some women find the pressure uncomfortable, the scan itself is very quick.

Menopause doesn’t cause breast cancer, but age and lifetime exposure to estrogen can increase your risk. Estrogen doesn’t directly damage DNA the way tobacco might, but it encourages normal cell growth and division, which slightly raises the chance for a “mistake” (mutation) as you age. Your body is also less able to repair such mistakes as you get older.

Mammogram types

• Screening mammogram: Routine test for women without breast symptoms. Meant to catch early changes before they can be felt. Usually covered by insurance as preventive care.
• Diagnostic mammogram: Used when there’s a concern (like a lump, pain or nipple change) or if something unusual appears on a screening test. Requires a provider exam and order; billed under imaging coverage instead of preventive.

Do you need an office visit or referral?

For a screening mammogram in Colorado, you often can go directly to the imaging center, your provider or telehealth clinician can order it for you. A diagnostic mammogram does require a physical exam and formal provider order. Screening mammograms are typically covered by insurance as preventive; diagnostic tests are billed under diagnostic imaging policies (which may involve copays or deductibles).

How a mammogram is done

Each breast is gently compressed between two plates to take X-ray images from a few angles. The procedure takes only a few minutes and produces high-resolution images that help detect even small calcifications or tissue changes. If needed, a diagnostic mammogram may include extra images or a targeted ultrasound for further detail.

Colorado breast imaging sites

You should be able to find breast imaging at most imaging centers in Colorado. You can do a local Google search for “breast imaging near me”. Some centers will have same or next-day appointments.

Pelvic / Gynecologic Ultrasound

Pelvic Ultrasound

A pelvic ultrasound uses sound waves (no radiation) to create images of your uterus, ovaries and surrounding pelvic area. It’s a safe, radiation-free test often used in mid-life to evaluate symptoms like pelvic pain, bloating, or unexpected bleeding. During menopause or when you’re on hormone replacement therapy (HRT), it’s especially useful for checking the uterine lining if bleeding happens after menopause.

Do you need a provider visit or referral?

Most pelvic ultrasounds require an order from a healthcare provider, which can be placed during a telehealth visit. Some imaging centers may accept self-referral for certain ultrasound types, but insurance coverage usually depends on having a provider’s order.

How a pelvic ultrasound works

The test can be done two ways: externally through your abdomen, or internally as a transvaginal ultrasound. Both use a handheld probe that sends sound waves to produce images. The procedure is generally painless, though a transvaginal exam may cause mild pressure or discomfort. You may be asked to arrive with a full bladder for clearer imaging.

Colorado ultrasound locations

You can find pelvic or gynecologic ultrasounds at nearly any full-service imaging center or hospital in Colorado. Most community hospitals, women’s health centers, and radiology networks include pelvic ultrasound as part of their standard diagnostic imaging services. Whether you live in a larger city like Denver or Colorado Springs or in smaller communities such as Fort Collins or Grand Junction, these scans are widely available and typically easy to schedule with a provider’s order.

Blood Work (Supportive Role)

While not technically “imaging,” lab tests play a key role in menopause care. Lab tests provide a snapshot of your overall health and help guide treatment decisions. For menopause-focused care, this may include cholesterol, thyroid function, blood sugar, vitamin D, and sometimes hormone levels. Though hormone testing is not always necessary (because levels fluctuate during perimenopause), checking things like thyroid and blood sugar can uncover conditions that mimic or worsen menopausal symptoms.

Do you need a provider visit or referral?

Almost all labs require a provider’s order, but a telehealth clinician from Inflexxion Health can send the order electronically to your preferred lab. Some labs offer walk-in or direct-access testing for a flat fee.

How blood work is taken

A small blood sample is drawn from a vein in your arm and sent to a lab for analysis. Some tests require fasting (like cholesterol or blood sugar); others do not. Results typically return within a few days.

Where tests can be done

Blood work is available at nearly any local lab or hospital in Colorado. Many imaging centers also have lab facilities or partner labs, so you may coordinate imaging and labs in one visit.

Quick Reference: Imaging Locations in Colorado for Menopause-Related Care

Insurance, Self-Pay & Access Notes for Colorado

• Under many insurance plans in Colorado, DEXA scans are covered when you meet guideline criteria (e.g., age or risk factors).
  
  
• If you don’t yet meet insurance criteria for screening DEXA, some centers (especially those oriented toward body composition) offer cash-pay options.
  
  
• For mammograms: Screening mammograms are typically covered as preventive care by insurance when you are within recommended age/risk criteria. Diagnostic mammograms may carry cost shares.
  
  
• Most imaging centers require a referral or an order from a provider, but your telehealth clinician (such as your provider at Inflexxion Health) can order the test for you.
  
  
• Telehealth menopause providers like Inflexxion Health can review imaging and lab results remotely, helping you avoid extra travel or in-person visits.
  
  

Why This Matters for Menopause Care

As you move through perimenopause, menopause or early post-menopause, your body is changing. Hormone shifts can affect bone density, heart health, breast tissue and more. Having timely access to imaging and lab services means you and your health-care team can monitor changes, detect issues early and intervene when needed.

For example:

• If you’re using hormone replacement therapy (HRT), regular monitoring of bone density can show whether your bones are responding.
  
  
• If you’re experiencing vaginal bleeding after menopause, a pelvic ultrasound can pick up changes in the uterine lining.
  
  
• If you’ve never had a mammogram or it’s been several years, accessing a modern 3D mammogram center in Colorado can give you greater peace of mind.
  
  

Choosing a telehealth-friendly menopause provider means that imaging orders, result reviews and next-step conversations can happen remotely, so you spend less time navigating logistics and more time focusing on feeling well.