The female athlete triad: what's a doctor to do?

Sports medicine physicians often encounter athletes with at least one component of the Female Athlete Triad-disordered eating, menstrual dysfunction, and altered bone mineral density. Recognizing these conditions early is critical because prolonged exposure can lead to serious, potentially irreversible, health consequences. Knowledge of the pathophysiology, detection, and treatment of these problems has evolved significantly.

Preparticipation physical examination: selected issues for the female athlete.

Objective: The purpose of this article was to examine the preparticipation examination (PPE) with regard to the female athlete. Ever-increasing participation of women in competitive sport has created a requirement for more gender-specific sport medicine knowledge. In particular, physicians and other health care professionals should be aware of the triad of disordered eating, amenorrhea (and other menstrual dysfunction), and osteoporosis (or altered bone mineral density) collectively described as the female athlete triad.