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Being able to push your body’s limits to thrive in training and competition is the hallmark of a great athlete. But for many women this pressure to succeed can become a double-edged sword, motivating them to excel yet also distorting their perceptions of what are healthy and productive training practices. The result too often is a set of three serious health concerns that make up the female athlete triad.<br><br>The triad consists of (a)disordered eating, which includes a wide spectrum of behaviors from fasting to anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa; (b)amenorrhea, a disruption of monthly menstrual cycles resulting in estrogen deficiency due to excessive exercise and other factors including disordered eating habits; and (c)osteoporosis, or loss of bone mass, which has been linked to estrogen deficiency and may lead to stress fractures. These three conditions may, and often do, appear separately in many active women but whether experienced singularly or as part of the triad, the conditions are a real threat to today’s female athletes.
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