The Female Athlete Triad The three components of the female athlete triad are energy availability, menstrual function, and bone mineral density. The triad is clinically referred to as eating disorders, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis. The female athlete triad has become more prevalent in the United States due to Title IX legislation. The triad is most common among the athletic population, but can occur in the athletic population. It is most common among athletes that are in sports the emphasize leanness. The pressure to perform at elite levels causes many female athletes to combine excessive exercise with calorie-poor diets. The benefits of exercise outweigh the risks, so women of all ages should be encouraged to participate in physical activity. It is important to rest your body between workouts to promote proper muscle and bone recovery. It is important to educate athletes, coaches, and parents on signs and symptoms of the triad to promote early detection and prevention.
Energy availability is defined as dietary energy input minus exercise output. Energy availability is the amount of dietary energy remaining after exercise for other body functions. If energy availability gets to low physiological mechanisms reduce the amount of energy that is used for cellular maintenance, thermoregulation, growth, and reproduction. This can restore energy balance but it significantly impairs health. Athletes can cause an energy deficit in many different ways. Athletes reduce energy by binge-eating then purging, fasting, or use of diet pills. A reduction of energy can also be caused by increasing exercise output more than energy input.
Eating disorders are common in women who suffer from the female athletic triad. An eating disorder is a clinical mental disorder that can be accompanied by other psychiatric illnesses. Anorexia nervosa is when a person sees themselves as overweight and has a fear of gaining weight. Anorexic’s can control their weight by restricting their diet or purging. Bulimia nervosa is when a person of usually normal weight repeat cycles of binge eating and purging. Anorexics and bulimics can use excessive exercise as a way of purging. Amenorrhea is the absence of menstrual cycles lasting more than three months. Secondary amenorrhea is when amenorrhea occurs after menarche. Menarche is the first menstrual bleeding. Primary amenorrhea is a delay in the age of the first menstrual bleeding. Research done on animals demonstrated that an energy deficiency that occurs before puberty can suppress growth and delay sexual development. Some surveys have established that the first menstrual bleeding in athletes occurs later than that of non-athletes.
Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder that consists of compromised bone strength predisposing a person to an increased risk of fracture. The risk of fracture is dependent on the density, internal structure of the bone mineral, and the quality of bone protein. Osteoporosis is not always due to increased bone mineral loss as a result of increased age. It can also be caused by not accumulating enough bone mineral density during childhood and adolescence. There is no specific bone mineral density that determines if you will or will not get a fracture. Athlete’s Bone mineral density can help determine her history of energy availability, menstrual status, genetic endowment, nutritional behaviors, and environmental factors. Amenorrhea will not cause osteoporosis immediately, but the demineralization of skeletal bone will begin moving her bone mineral density in that direction. When a person resumes regular menses they will not immediately restore optimal bone density, but they will start to accumulate bone mineral that will improve their bone mineral density.
There are many negative health considerations related to the female athlete triad. Low energy availability can cause medical complication with the cardiovascular, endocrine, reproductive, skeletal, gastrointestinal, renal, and central nervous systems. Eating disorders can also cause low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Women with Amenorrhea are infertile, because of an absence of ovarian follicular development, ovulation, and luteal function. Bone mineral density declines due to the number of missed menstrual cycles. This loss of bone mineral density may not be completely reversible. This can lead to an increase number of stress factors.
Athletes for are at the highest risk for low energy availability are the ones who restrict dietary energy intake and over exercise for prolonged periods of time. Things to look out for are athletes who get an early start to sport specific training and dieting, injury, and an increase in volume of training. Things such as social factors, psychological predispositions, low self-esteem, family factors, abuse, and genetics can all play a role in eating disorders. It is important to notice any significant loss in a short period of time could also be a sign of an eating disorder.
Prevention is of the female athletic triad should be a top priority for athletic and healthcare professionals. This can be accomplished by educating athletes, coaches, and parents about the potential dangers of the female athletic triad. The main emphasis should be on optimizing energy availability. It is especially important to educate females about the importance of bone density. Females are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis when they are older. This is why it is important to build up as much bone density as you can at a younger age. You can add bone density by eating a healthy diet and by doing weight bearing exercises. It is important to get a sufficient amount of rest between weight bearing exercises to ensure muscle and bone recovery. Doing too much physical activity with insufficient rest can actually cause a decrease in muscle and bone mass. You can continue to add bone density to your body until the age of 25. After that it is all about maintaining bone density to reduce the risk of osteoporosis. It is important that national and international sports and athletics organizations put policies in effect that will eliminate potentially harmful weight loss practices of female athletes. Female athlete triad is a serious issue and should not be taken lightly. It is important to educate females about resting between workouts and eating a healthy diet to achieve a healthy fitness level. When you perform resistance training you cause stress on the muscles and bone tissue. In order to repair your muscles and bones tissue the body depends on rest and nutrients attained from a healthy diet. If you do not get sufficient rest or nutrients then muscle and bones cannot repair themselves or get stronger. Not allowing your muscles and bones to recover makes you more prone to chronic injuries and can result in the triad for women. Early detection is important in preventing triad in women. This can be accomplished by educating athletes, coaches, and parents about the signs, symptoms and dangers of triad.

Work Cited
Nattiv, A., Loucks, A., Manore, M., Sanborn, C., Sundgot-Borgen, J., & Warren, M. (2007). The female athlete triad. American College of Sports Medicine, Retrieved from http://www.library.eiu.edu/ersvdocs/5712.pdf Female athlete triad coalition. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.femaleathletetriad.org/ Brown, A., Nagle, J., & Buckwalter, V. (n.d.). The female athlete triad. Retrieved from http://www.lhup.edu/yingram/female triad/11111.htm