The Female Athlete

Continued...

Some women believe they are not properly conditioned until they stop having their periods. Cessation of menstruation as a result of exercise is a condition called Exercise Associated Amenorrhea (EAA).

Recent research indicates that far from being a standard of fitness, amenorrhea is a symptom of underlying problems. Women who are not having regular menstrual cycles are losing substantial amounts of bone mass. These research results were startling, because exercise is considered to be beneficial to bone mass.

Most of the athletes stndied were able to resume menstruation by reducing their exercise by 10 percent and increasing their calorie intake by 20 percent in an effort to increase body weight by 10 percent.

However, the studies indicate that the loss of bone mass may not be entirely reversible. If any of your clients has not had her period for three months or longer, she needs to be evaluated by a doctor familiar with EAA. If she is unable to resume menstruation, she may need to begin estrogen therapy.

Because EAA is a diagnosis of exclusion, all other causes of amenorrhea, including pregnancy, need to be ruled out. A woman cannot count on EAA as a method of birth control. She has no way of knowing when she may resume ovulation, and she may become pregnant before she menstruates.

This has happened to some athletes, in particular Olga Korbut and Ingrid Kristiansen, who were amenorrheic and concerned about decreasing performance before they saw a physician and discovered they were pregnant.

Exercise and the Breast

Thirty to 40 percent of women who exercise experience breast discomfort due to excessive breast motion. Women with B cup size and larger are most likely to have pain, which results from the upward rising motion of the breast during exercise and then from the breast slapping downward.

What can be done to prevent this discomfort?

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Table of Contents

Foreword: Billie Jean King

Comments by Barb Harris
Editor in Chief,
Shape Magazine

General Health
Nutrition
Exercise
Common Medical Problems
Dental Health
Emergency!
Infectious Disease
Sexual Health
Emotional Well-Being
Eating Disorders
Alcohol & Other Drugs
Environmental Health
Prevention