By: Hello Doctor
By: Hello Doctor
The health of people who perform a physical activity or sport is undoubtedly benefited. It is also in the case of adolescent and adult women, however, when sport requires them to achieve or maintain an unrealistic low weight, it serves as the basis for the development of the “Triad”, which affects health.
The triad of female athlete is made up of of 3 disorders:
– Amenorrhea (no menstruation).
– Eating disorder (anorexia and bulimia, or other).
– Osteoporosis (decrease in bone density).
The primary amenorrhea is the delay of the first menstruation in women (up to 15 years inclusive), one secondary amenorrhea is the absence of menstruation for 3 or more consecutive cycles, this is due to a decrease in the production of hormones in the brain (hypotha lamo) stimulating sex hormones, very similar to what happens in menopause.
It refers to a harmful and ineffective modification in the athlete’s diet, in order to reach or maintain a weight to be able to compete or sometimes for “aesthetics”, the methods range from diets not balanced until the use of laxatives or purgatives.
The Osteoporosis is a decrease in bone density and an alteration in the microarchitecture of the skeleton , which can bring fractures with it.
In athletes the continuous physical wear and tear and microtraumas that their bones receive increase the risk of generating a stress fracture. The cause goes hand in hand with amenorrhea, as there is no production of hormones from the hypothalamus.
This triad not only occurs in Elite athletes, women who perform physical activity and who maximize their body and sometimes reaching a desired or stereotyped physique can have serious physical and psychological consequences, which can even lead to death in a woman.
The role of the doctor, physical trainer and / or coach and the people around her is to avoid from the first symptom to form the triad, it is also important that when having a data clinician is evaluated by a sports doctor for treatment.