{"id":221,"date":"2010-11-10T02:43:37","date_gmt":"2010-11-10T02:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/optimumsportsperformance.com\/blog\/?p=221"},"modified":"2019-01-19T23:26:43","modified_gmt":"2019-01-19T23:26:43","slug":"stress-and-the-female-athlete","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/optimumsportsperformance.com\/blog\/stress-and-the-female-athlete\/","title":{"rendered":"Stress and the female athlete"},"content":{"rendered":"

High amounts of stress over prolonged periods of time can wreak havoc on our bodies.\u00a0 Besides the commonly talked about issues that come with a high stress life \u2013 increased blood pressure, heart attacks, depression, etc \u2013 stress can affect\u00a0both sexes on a hormonal level as well.\u00a0\u00a0For female athletes, intense physical and psychological stress may be a catalyst in the development of the\u00a0female athlete triad<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Female Athlete Triad<\/strong><\/p>\n

The female athlete triad is a three-part, interrelated pattern of dysfunction that can evolve when the athlete is under high amounts of physical and\/or psychological stress, causing a change in eating patterns, menstruation, and finally bone mineral density.<\/p>\n

\"triad\"<\/p>\n

It is important to note that this pattern can happen to any physically active woman who faces physical stress, it doesn\u2019t exclusively apply to an\u00a0<\/span>athlete.\u00a0<\/em>I would even suspect, and consider, the fact that this pattern could happen in a woman who is not physical active at all but rather faces high amounts of psychological and emotional stress, forcing any one of these three catalysts to begin the process.<\/span><\/p>\n

Physical and Psychological Stress<\/strong><\/p>\n

As strength coaches and trainers (and even\u00a0women or female athletes who train themselves) it is important to be aware of\u00a0the athlete\u2019s\u00a0stress level and its impact on their training and sports program. Female athletes, especially\u00a0in the high school and collegiate settings, typically face a high amount of psychological\/emotional stress.\u00a0 This comes not only in the form of course work and exams but can also be tied to social stress \u2013 making new friends, being away from home (for the collegiate athlete), relationship stress, body image stress, etc.<\/p>\n

The last example, body image stress, can kick off the female athlete triad as extreme changes to diet and nutritional intake commonly follow a negative self image.\u00a0 When nutritional intake is poor, energy imbalance may create a platform for amenorrhea (cessation of normal menstruation).\u00a0 As well, high amounts of\u00a0stress can alter hormones which can also have negative implications on normal menstruation.\u00a0 A decrease in nutrients, such as vitamin D and calcium, and alterations in hormones, especially estrogen, can eventually create a loss of bone mineral density.<\/p>\n

This example clearly shows the interrelatedness of the female athlete triad and if we had started the example with more of a physical stressor (intense training, competition, and eventual overtraining) the same type of interrelated connection would easily be seen.<\/p>\n

According to Powers and Howley (Exercise Physiology: Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance, pg. 467)\u00a0<\/em>4% of all female athletes will meet the criteria of the\u00a0triad and 26% will\u00a0have two of the components in the triad.\u00a0 Additionally, 3% of nonathletic women (ages 13-29) display all three aspects of the triad.\u00a0 Given the prevalence of this issue, we should first evaluate some of the potential signs of the female athlete triad.<\/p>\n

Signs of the Female Athlete Triad\u00a0<\/strong>(Morgenthal AP<\/a>\u00a0[PDF])<\/em><\/p>\n