Women & Sports

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• Summary

Female athlete triad is a syndrome in which eating disorders, osteoporosis and amenorrhea, eating disorders effect adversely on the body.

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disorder in which reduction in bone mass occurs. As a result, bones may break from a minor fall. Estrogen is lower in the case of female athletes. Low estrogen levels and poor nutrition, especially low calcium intake, can lead to osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a weakening of the bones due to the loss of bone density and improper bone formation.
This condition can ruin a female athlete's career because it may lead to bone fractures and other injuries.

Causes:

1. Insufficient calcium in the diet.
2. Eating disorder
3. Bad eating habits

Amenorrhea

Amenorrhea refers to the absence of menstrual periods. It may be either primary meaning woman has never developed menstrual periods) or secondary (absence of menstrual periods in a woman who was previously menstruating). There are many reasons responsible for amenorrhea including extensive exercise and improper diet. Exercising intensively and not consuming enough calories can lead to decreases in hormones that result in a girl's periods becoming irregular or stopping altogether.

Eating disorders:

Anorexia nervosa: In this eating disorder, the female athlete only thinks about food, dieting, and body weight all the time. They have distorted body structure. Other individuals usually feel them that are becoming thin but they do not believe this. In front of the mirror, they see themselves as obese.

Bulimia nervosa: In this eating disorder, the female eats an excessive amount of food and then vomits it in order not to gain weight. In this disorder, an individual binges on food and feels a loss of control. Then to prevent weight gain try to vomit the food.