Sports Tips and Advice for Female Athletes

Female athlete triad came in to the focus of sports research community when a pattern was observed among female athletes engaging certain categories of sports. It includes growing number of female athlete triad cases among endurance runners, athletes participating in aesthetic sports like gymnastics, skiing, figural skating and martial arts.

Difficulties Involved in Accurate Data Collection for Female Athlete Triad Statistics

Collecting a scientifically accurate statistics on the frequency of female athlete triad is difficult owing the lack of reporting of the cases in many instances. Athletes with eating disorders or amenorrhea often don’t approach the doctors until the disease is finally blown out of control. Also there is a tendency to keep the symptoms even from the closest family circles.

How to Compile a Record of Female Athlete Triad Statistics?

Research on female athlete triad mainly focuses on mainly two major sources on data collection, surveys involving questionnaires and data collected from pre-participation tests. Questionnaires constitute the preliminary stage of detecting the disease. To detect eating disorders research communities use scientifically acknowledged means like Eating Disorder Test (EAT), Bulimia Investigatory Test Edinburgh (BITE) and Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ). Preparticipation tests are useful strategies since they aim at a more scientific way of detecting the disease with tests being carried out to measure blood count, heart rates, bone mineral density and estrogen levels.

Recent Statistics on Female Athlete Triad

Recent statistics on female athlete triad can be dealt with under its 3 constituent components.

Eating Disorders Statistics

Eating disorders constitute one of the most prevalent constituent of the triad among female athletes, with nearly 62% of athletes reportedly suffering from eating disorders, with specific cases of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa constituting 4-39%. In a recent study it was found that at least 30.4% of the high school students use dieting for weight control when they have normal weight pattern. In another study among female athletes a third of the selected group displayed eating disorders with almost 15% expressing symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Another 12% displayed signs of bulimia with an uncontrollable appetite.

Amenorrhea Statistics

Menstrual problems are recorded in 1.8 to 5% of population. When it comes to athletics the figure rises alarmingly. In aesthetic sports the figures touch somewhere between 6 to 79% with many studies recording a range of 25- 60%. Runners follow next with a record of 25%. Among sports like cycling and swimming the rate is relatively low, with the rates situated somewhere around 12%.

Osteoporosis Statistics

Osteoporosis constitutes the aggravated phase of female athlete triad. Mainly the disease affects postmenopausal women with 30% them having a risk of osteoporosis and another 60% being at the risk of osteopenesis. Among athletes with female athlete triad osteoporosis can manifest in the premenopausal period itself. Estimated percentage of athletes having osteoporosis is difficult to come by since the onset of disease marks taking a break from sports itself.

In view of the statistical evidence it can be seen clearly that female athletic triad is one of the prevalent diseases among female athletes.