#FemaleHEALTHSport - Female Athlete Triad: The Condition Sidelining Female Athletes @SWLVERINE

Swolverine supports #HerMoJo - a gentle 'nudge' to help get more women & girls, more ACTIVE!

Female Athlete Triad: The Condition Sidelining Female Athletes with Swolverine

For a long time, the message to female athletes has been to ‘train harder’, ‘train longer’, and to ‘train until you think you can practice with the men’. Not only does society shame female athletes for not being as ‘talented’ or as ‘interesting’ as men’s sports, but research is only beginning to understand how sports and nutrition affect a woman’s body, notably, her fertility and regular menses.

It’s time to open the conversation about the condition that is quietly sidelining female athletes — Female Athlete Triad — the one that stands in the way of our success in sports and long-term consequences associated with it.

Female Athlete Triad Definition - What Is It?

Chances are, you’ve never heard of female athlete triad. In fact, even more possible, you may have experienced it and never even known it. The female athlete triad is a devastating health problem that female athletes face, notably involving, nutritional deficits, lack of menstruation, infertility, and issues with bone health.

Female Athlete Triad Syndrome:

Disordered Eating
Amenorrhea (absent mensuration and periods)
Osteoporosis

The problem with this description of the female athlete triad? For a while, a full-blown clinical diagnosis of the three conditions of the triad needed to be met. As more researchers jumped in the pot to study female athletes and their bodies, the more nuances they discovered.

The Three Components of The Female Athlete Triad Syndrome

Typically speaking, the triad can manifest itself in three main ways that are measured across a spectrum from healthy to unhealthy:

Low Energy With/Without Disordered Eating
Loss of Period/Menstrual Disturbances
Low Bone Mineral Density/Osteoporosis

Who Is At Risk For Female Athlete Triad?

As formerly mentioned, female athletes at the recreational, collegiate, elite and professional levels who’s lower body weight and body fat percentage are the main groups susceptible to the triad. Some of the main sports include endurance and strength sports, such as high-intensity functional training, running, weightlifting, cross country, biking, swimming, figure skiing, gymnastics, ballet, and diving, to name a few.

Summary – The Female Athlete Triad

Many athletes, from recreational, everyday athletes, to elite level and professional athletes, may find themselves at risk for developing the Female Athlete Triad due to an improper balance of nutrient delivery and performance demands. While a number of nutrition and energy imbalances may arise throughout a female athlete’s journey, if an athlete can become more aware of them and know how to more accurately deliver nutrients on a consistence basis, the issues associated with the Female Athlete Triad can effectively be avoided. By opening the discussion, breaking down the stigma, and providing scientifically supported solutions from a food-first approach, female athletes can stay in the game and not be sidelined by the Triad and nutritional deficiencies long before they arise.

So why not join in? Keep active during the Coronavirus outbreak.

Promote your story/video on #WSNetTV Send a link to jo.c@wsnet.co.uk with some info about your exercise programme.

Have you seen MoJoManuals? FOOTBALLMoJo, LACROSSEMoJo, ROWMoJo, NETBALLMoJo – www.WSNet.co.uk/MoJoManuals

MoJoManuals addressing the wide range of issues which teenage girls face as they engage in competitive sport. Predicated on 'Physical Literacy' but also cover a range of other emotive issues such as: body image, diet, fit or thin, social media, training with menstruation, coaching style etc. – which impact how girls engage/drop out of sport – and potentially go on to be elite athletes and confident, mature young women outside of sport.