Nancy Reagan hospitalized with broken pelvis

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former first lady Nancy Reagan has been hospitalized for treatment of fractures to her pelvis and lower spine suffered in a fall at her home last week, her spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

The 87-year-old widow of President Ronald Reagan will remain at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center for a few more days, until doctors are satisfied with her progress, then return home, said spokeswoman Joanne Drake.

She admitted herself to the hospital, recently renamed the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, after experiencing persistent pain following her fall.

Tests revealed she had suffered a fractured pelvis and sacrum -- the large, triangular bone at the base of the spine between the two hip bones.

"Her anticipated recovery is six to eight weeks, including physical therapy and a modified schedule," Drake said in a statement, adding that Reagan was in good spirits.

No further details on her condition or the circumstances of her fall were disclosed.

In February, Reagan took a spill that landed her in the hospital for two days. She suffered no serious injury in that fall.

A month later, Reagan made a public appearance with Republican Sen. John McCain at her home in the affluent Bel Air community of Los Angeles to endorse his candidacy for president. She has otherwise remained largely out of the limelight in recent years.

Born Anne Frances Robbins, the onetime actress appeared in films in the 1940s and 1950s as Nancy Davis and married fellow Hollywood performer Reagan in 1952.

She became first lady in 1981 after Reagan, the former governor of California, was elected president. She helped him survive blows such as an assassination attempt and cancer surgery during his eight years in the White House.

She also became known during her time as first lady for renovating the White House and for her "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign.

Her husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in the 1990s and she devoted much of her time to caring for him until his death in 2004.

She has since advocated federal support for embryonic stem cell research, siding against prominent Republicans including President George W. Bush.

(Reporting by Steve Gorman; Editing by Dan Whitcomb and Xavier Briand)