Eating Disorders: The Female Athlete Triad

Written by Julie A. Hobart, M.D., and Douglas R. Smicker, M.D., M.P.H.

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The female athlete triad is defined as the combination of disordered eating, amenorrhea and osteoporosis. This disorder often goes unrecognized. The consequences of lost bone mineral density can be devastating for the female athlete. Premature osteoporotic fractures can occur, and lost bone mineral density may never be regained. Early recognition of the female athlete triad can be accomplished by the family physician through risk factor assessment and screening questions. Instituting an appropriate diet and moderating the frequency of exercise may result in the natural return of menses. Hormone replacement therapy should be considered early to prevent the loss of bone density. A collaborative effort among coaches, athletic trainers, parents, athletes and physicians is optimal for the recognition and prevention of the triad. Increased education of parents, coaches and athletes in the health risks of the female athlete triad can prevent a potentially life-threatening illness. (Am Fam Physician 2000;61:3357-64,3367.)

According to Title IX of the Educational Assistance Act, any college that accepts federal funding must provide equal opportunities for women and men to participate in athletic programs. Last year marked the 25th anniversary of the passage of Title IX legislation, which dramatically increased the number of women who participate in sports at all competitive levels. Increased participation in exercise can result in a myriad of proven short- and long-term benefits. However, potential adverse health consequences are associated specifically with the overzealous female athlete. The family physician, who may recognize pathologic conditions that are related to exercise, usually has multiple opportunities to intervene.

Definitions and Prevalence

The female athlete triad is a combination of three interrelated conditions that are associated with athletic training: disordered eating, amenorrhea and osteoporosis. Patients with disordered eating may engage in a wide range of harmful behaviors, from food restriction to bingeing and purging, to lose weight or maintain a thin physique. Many athletes do not meet the strict criteria for anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa that are listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (Table 1), but will manifest similar disordered eating behaviors as part of the triad syndrome.1

TABLE 1
Criteria for Eating Disorders

Anorexia nervosa

Refusal to maintain body weight at or above a minimally normal weight for age and height (e.g., weight loss leading to maintenance of body weight less than 85 percent of that expected; or failure to make expected weight gain during period of growth, leading to body weight less than 85 percent of that expected).
Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, even though underweight.
Disturbance in the way in which one's body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-evaluation, or denial of the seriousness of the current low body weight.
In postmenarcheal females, amenorrhea, i.e., the absence of at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. (A woman is considered to have amenorrhea if her periods occur only following hormone, e.g., estrogen, administration.)

Specify type:

Restricting type: during the current episode of anorexia nervosa, the person has not regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior (i.e., self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas)

Binge-eating/purging type: during the current episode of anorexia nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in binge-eating or purging behavior (i.e., self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas)

Bulimia nervosa

Recurrent episodes of binge eating. An episode of binge eating is characterized by both of the following:
1. Eating, in a discrete period of time (e.g., within any 2-hour period), an amount of food that is definitely larger than most people would eat during a similar period of time and under similar circumstances
2. A sense of lack of control over eating during the episode (e.g., a feeling that one cannot stop eating or control what or how much one is eating)
Recurrent inappropriate compensatory behavior in order to prevent weight gain, such as self-induced vomiting; misuse of laxatives, diuretics, enemas or other medications; fasting; or excessive exercise.
The binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur, on average, at least twice a week for three months.
Self-evaluation is unduly influenced by body shape and weight.

Specify type:

Purging type: during the current episode of bulimia nervosa, the person has regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas

Nonpurging type: during the current episode of bulimia nervosa, the person has used other inappropriate compensatory behaviors, such as fasting or excessive exercise, but has not regularly engaged in self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas

Eating disorder not otherwise specified

The eating disorder not otherwise specified category is for disorders of eating that do not meet the criteria for any specific eating disorder.

Adapted with permission from American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 1994:539-50. Copyright 1994.