The Female Athlete Triad

For the female athlete working out hard and being a competitor it is important to not forget about taking care of yourself. With more and more young female athletes picking up sports and working hard to excel in sport many health professionals are looking at the female athlete triad. Athletes who have the female athlete triad are suffering from disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis.

Disorder eating for the female athlete is not good. While competing in sport and working out hard it is important for the body to get the proper nutrients that it needs. Not eating enough can put alot of stress on your body. It is important that all female athletes eat enough and replace what they lost. Poor nutrition and eating habits can lead to anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Anorexia nervosa is when someone does not eat or does not eat enough to get the calories there body needs for energy. Bulimia is is binge eating and then purging to get rid of the food that was eaten.

Amenorrhea is when a female loses there menstrual period. Amenorrhea is occurs when a female does not have their period for 6 months. Having short periods and skipping months is also a sign that you are pushing your body to hard and are not giving it the proper nutrients that it needs for day to day activities and athletics. Keeping your body at a healthy weight will give you a regular menstural cycle. It is important that athletes always give their body the nutrients that it needs. Osteoporosis is a weakening of the bones. Weakening of the bones can cause health problems and can lead to fractures. Working out and being an athlete helps build strong bones, but if you have improper nutrition and lose your menstrual cycle the female athlete can put themselves at risk for osteoporosis.

I decided to publish a post on this topic because I am a female athlete and I know that it can be really hard balancing everything you have to do on day to day basis along with athletics and staying in shape to be the best competitor you can be. For all females out their that are working out and staying in shape, I want to let you know that any of the three medical problems above can happen to you if you don't stay on top of your health. Athletes that focus on sport and make it larger part of their life are at risk. Long distance runners are at risk because there sports require alot of endurance and if you don't put back the proper nutrients your body needs it can lead to serious health consequences. Athletes who also are involved in sports that focus on physical appearance are also at huge risk for female athlete triad. These sports include dancing and gymnastics. Female athletes just need to make sure that they properly re-fuel there body with proper nutrition, keep track of there menstrual cycle, take care of any injuries or report them and make sure to get regular check ups and talk to your doctor about any concerns. Female athlete triad is a very serious illness that can be prevented with awareness and education. As an athlete myself I know that with all the demands with school and trying to compete at the best of your ability sometimes you forget to take care of yourself. Remember to not neglect yourself when you are busy with school or have added stress while competing and working out. Taking care of your self and maintaining your health very really important.

For more information on the Female Athlete Triad visit here:

http://www.youngwomenshealth.org/triad.html