Female Athlete Triad

Girls and women have made great strides in sports. Not long ago, women in schools were forbidden from competing, but today, many females are successful in athletics. However, female athletes face a different set of challenges on the field. Female athlete triad is a term that refers to three interconnected conditions that often affect female athletes.

Girls who compete in sports face pressure from coaches, parents, and teammates that can cause them to begin unhealthy eating habits. Girls who compete in certan sports such as ballet, gymnastics, diving, or figure skating might be pressured to be thin because such sports place an emphasis on a slender body type. They may also develop disordered eating as a means to improve their performance. Girls may develop anorexia (starving themselves) or bulimia (purging). They may also use laxatives, diet pills, or diuretics, and may exercise excessively.

Disordered eating leads to the second condition in the female athlete triad - amenorrhea, or absence of a menstrual period. It is very common for girls who have eating disorders to stop having their periods. Regularly missing a period is a problem because it lowers the amount of estrogen in the body. Estrogen is highly important for keeping bones strong. Without enough of it, the bones can lose density and strength, causing premature osteoporosis - the third condition in the triad. This condition increases the risk for fractures. In addition to osteoporosis, lack of a menstrual period prevents pregnancy, which can be a problem if the athlete is wanting to have children in the immediate future.

It's important to remember how to strike a balance between training and your sport and your normal life. Athletes should be careful not to buy into pressures from outside forces about their bodies. A healthy mind helps keep your body healthy, and a healthy body plays a better game.