Sports and exercise are part of a balanced, healthy life style. When sports is taken to an extreme, some girls are at risk for a condition called female athlete triad.
This is a combination of three conditions: eating disorder, amenorrhea and osteoporosis. A female athlete can have one, two or all three of this triad.
#1 Eating disorder: girls want to lose weight for better performance in their sport discipline. The eating disorder can range from leaving out certain foods such as fat to more serious disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa. Low self esteem and stress can cause disorderd eating.
#2 Amenorrhea: A girls’s period may become irregular or stop altogether when exercising intensely while not taking in enough calories. Once the body weight falls too low, estrogen levels decrease affecting the menstrual cycle. ( it is normal for teen girls to miss periods occasionally and not every girl who experience this has athlete triad).
#3 Osteoporosis: Low estrogen levels and inadequate diet, especially lack of calcium, can lead to osteoporosis. This condition weakens the bones in reducing bone density and affecting healthy bone formation. Osteoporosis may lead to stress fracture and can ruin a girl’s athletic career.
The teen years are crucial for bone formation and usually bones reach their peak bone mass in that time of life. Lack of calcium, low estrogen levels and underweight can have a lasting effect on the bone health later in life.
Who is at risk for female athlete triad? Competitive athletes, girls who participate in sports that classify them by weight such as rowing and marital arts, or sports that emphasize thin apperance such as figure skating, diving, ballet and ballet.
The truth is that girls who are fit and active enough to compete in sports, do not improve their performance when losing weight. Since those girls usually have more muscles than fat, what gets starved is the muscle when losing weight. When body weight is normal in teen girls, yet weight loss occurs, the hormonal cycle and bone building processes are negatively affected.
What can be done? It is important to address the physical and emotional issues. A doctor will take a medical history, possibly order labwork and bone density testing. Once diagnosed with athlete triad, the girls will work with a nutrionalist, exercise specialist or physcial therapsit and psychologist.
Tips for female athletes:
Keep track of your periods. Dont’s skip meals or snacks, consult with a nutritionist who works with teen athletes.
Remember: It is about your body and your life! Not your coach, parents or team mates have to live with any damage to your body. Enjoy your sport and do not sacrify your health.
For any further information, please contact Marion Kregeloh, PT, CFP at 415-461-7528
