No Periods, No Babies?

Continued...

Exercise-associated amenorrhea, instead of being a sign of peak physical conditioning, is actually an indication of a system edging toward collapse. Studies done by Dr. Barbara Drinkwater at the University of Washington and Chris Cann, PhD at UC San Francisco, found significantly lower bone density in women athletes with amenorrhea.

Some of the women in the studies who decreased training and/or increased caloric intake resumed menstruation. In those who did so, bone mass slowly increased, but further research is needed to determine if bone mass will completely return to normal levels.

The implications of this loss of bone mass are serious. They include an increased chance of stress fracture in the short term and the increased likelihood of developing osteoporosis in the long term. Women with exercise-associated amenorrhea have higher calcium needs -1500 mg. versus 1000 mg. daily for women with normal menstruation.

Since it seems amenorrhea is abnormal and dangerous, current recommendations are for athletes to try to resume menstruation on their own by decreasing training 5 to 15 percent and increasing calorie intake by 5 to 25 percent. If menses do not resume in 6 to 12 months, hormone replacement should be considered.

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About the authors: Carol L. Otis, M.D., is Chief Medical Advisor to the Sanex WTA and a UCLA student health physician. Roger Goldingay is a former professional soccer player. They are married and the co-authors of The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide.

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Foreword: Billie Jean King

Comments by Barb Harris
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