HealthCentral would like to welcome Susie Hathaway who will explain one of our exercise disorders—Female Athlete Triad Syndrome—and its impact on bone mineral density. 

Susie Hathaway is a personal trainer, specializing in helping women in the over-50 age group strength train for healthy bodies and bones. Half of her clients & class participants have osteoporosis or low bone density. Her mission is to develop safe strength training programs for women, no matter what their age, level of fitness, or physical limitations. She writes a blog about how to stay strong and healthy for an active second half of life at SusieHathaway.com.

Background:

• Personal Trainer, ACSM* certified
• Former Elementary Physical Education Teacher and Youth Sports Coach
• BA in Health Education
• Group Leader on the National Osteoporosis Foundation’s online Support Community             *American College of Sports Medicine

Susie has produced a DVD, "Safe Strength Training for Osteoporosis Prevention."

What is Female Athlete Triad Syndrome?

It is a cluster of the symptoms of that includes disordered eating, lack of menstrual periods (amenorrhea), and bone loss. It can occur from not eating enough or exercising too much, leading to a drop in estrogen which can lead to low bone density and osteoporosis.

What are the risk factors that contribute to this syndrome?

Any woman who is physically active can be at risk for the Triad, especially if she has the discipline for athletic training and the competitive urge to win at all costs. It can affect dancers, as well as athletes in any sport.

Usually, athletic training results in a high level of health and fitness. However, when athletes don’t consume enough calories because of the perceived notion that ultra-thinness will help performance or make her look more attractive, health can be severely compromised.

Training past a reasonable level is also a risk factor. Susceptible athletes can be those who participate in endurance activities like running, as well as those in sports with form fitting clothing such as gymnastics, dancing, and swimming.

What health consequences do we see with this disorder?

When the body encounters a severe energy shortage, the female hormone estrogen can drop and menstrual periods stop. Osteoblasts, our bone-building cells, respond very well in the presence of estrogen. Without it, a young woman will lose bone at a rate comparable with a woman at the onset of menopause, which is the time of greatest bone loss in a woman’s life.