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Triple Threat
Female Athlete Triad: What Every Parent Should Know By Kelly Burgess
Dr. Otis, the author of The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide: How to Win the Battle Against Eating Disorders, Amenorrhea, and Osteoporosis (Human Kinetics, September 2000), calls it "old bones in young women." She says that parents need to be aware of the warning signs of the triad in order to prevent problems for their daughters down the road.
"It isn't always easy to spot these problems in young people, especially if they tend to be secretive or want to hide it," says Dr. Otis. "While there's no way you can know if they're losing bone mass, and you may not realize that they are no longer menstruating, food obsessions are usually easier to spot."
Dr. Otis recommends watching for food-fad type behavior, such as eliminating entire food groups. While she notes that sometimes these fads are a normal part of the adolescent years, a parent should be concerned if it seems to become an obsession. Additional warning signs include any evidence of diet pills, laxatives, vomiting and constant comments about weight.
"Sometimes high school and college kids don't realize how many calories they're truly expending during their exercise and don't understand how many they need to replace," says Dr. Weiss. "Some kids are not purposely trying to lose weight; they just don't realize how much they need to eat."
According to Dr. Weiss, the key is an understanding of the term "disordered eating." While it can refer to an eating disorder, such as anorexia or bulimia, it can also refer to poor eating habits. In other words, a diet that doesn't supply enough energy to make up for what the athlete is expending.
This is when good parental communication is effective, says Dr. Weiss. She notes that athletic kids who develop the triad as a result of poor eating habits are more likely to come to their parents when their periods cease.
"The athletes who aren't doing this on purpose are more likely to share information about their bodies with their parents or coaches, because they're not trying to lose weight and they're not trying to hide it," says Dr. Weiss. "It's a red flag for any adult if a young athlete comes to them and tells them they are no longer having periods and means they need to be evaluated, and their diet definitely needs to be adjusted."
The danger for athletes in not catching this as soon as possible – or in not preventing it altogether – is that the weakened bones can make them more susceptible to stress fractures. It also can take them longer to recover from other injuries.
