OVER TRAINING AND PROLONGED ENERGY DEFICIENCY IN FEMALE ATHLETES.
This one is for athletes, coaches, family, friends and everyone in between looking for guidance and understanding of what prolonged energy deficit with excessive training can look like for females.
You may have heard the term loosely thrown around within the sporting and training realm, but the female athlete triad is a concept that many do not entirely understand nor are they educated on how it could affect you, your loved one or a teammate.
It is something that if left undetected can have devastating consequences on sporting performance, but also, and more importantly, the mental, physical, emotional and reproductive health of the female encountering this condition.
A conversation that needs to be had more often in our sporting community and is something that we can all learn more about to be on the lookout for warning signs and symptoms, and ways to help someone you love that may be experiencing it.
The Female Athlete Triad is a common manifestation of ‘Relative energy deficiency in sport’ or RED-S. It is characterised by a combination of low energy levels (with or without disordered eating), menstrual dysfunction and low bone mineral density, where evidently a mixture of these mechanisms is guaranteed chaos. Without a correct training program that is personalised individually and covers training regime, nutrition, recovery, and mental wellbeing; athletes can fall into the trap of being mismanaged by themselves or a coach without them even knowing.
Having experienced this myself, unknowingly might I add, I understand first hand the implications it can have to performance in all aspects; physical, mental and emotional. My individual symptoms included stress fractures, loss of periods, extreme fatigue, decreasing performance outcomes and heightened emotions, and extremely amplified anxiety. All of which were debilitating in their own ways, and frightening to go through alone.
So how exactly can the “Female Athlete Triad” set the body up for failure?
1. Menstrual dysfunction is a common consequence of energy deficiency in female athletes. When the female body lacks energy stores, there is a reduction in the levels of hypothalamic-pituitary hormones (including oestrogen) released in the body. This leads to a disruption and potentially an absence of menstruation (amenorrhea). This has the potential to cause infertility in the future.
2. Low energy stores can cause a reduction in bone mineral density. As energy production decreases, so does bone protein synthesis and mineralisation, which are the processes responsible for maintaining bone strength and mineral density. This not only increases the risk of bone injuries (eg, fractures), it also increases the likelihood of developing early onset osteoporosis.
3. The combination of low energy stores, menstrual dysfunction and low bone mineral density is common in sports where leanness is favourable including gymnastics, ballet, long distance runners or triathletes.
This can all happen easily and fly under the radar with many athletes putting their symptoms down to just “feeling tired”, particularly due to the feeling of immense comparison and pressure female athletes endure in the industry. Be on the watch for potential disordered eating patterns, or simply an imbalance in energy intake and energy expenditure. Athletes need to understand how much fuel their body requires to maintain high levels of physical activity, and how often they should be training, just as much as their support networks need to understand this too.
What happens to sporting performance if it goes undetected?
If an athlete continues to train or compete with low levels of energy, it can drastically impact their sporting performance. Potential outcomes include:
-Decreased endurance and earlier fatigue -Decreased muscular strength -Decreased coordination, concentration and impaired judgement -More frequent illness -Increased likelihood of irritability and depression
These factors contribute to increase the risk of musculoskeletal injury. It can also have long-term inhibiting effects on reproductive systems, bone health, mental health and wellness, and increased signs of ageing. The importance of athletes scheduling training correctly cannot be understated. Athletes will often need professional help with this; collaborate with your coaches or health care professionals to plan appropriately and avoid experiencing any ongoing fatigue on the body from over-training. Understanding the right words and mannerisms to use when approaching someone with this condition is also crucial and can be make or break in building a sense of support and trust.
Please seek professional help if you think you or any one close to you may be experiencing this. It is debilitating, detrimental to health and can become severely suffocating when attempting to work through it. This topic should be spoken about more, in an open and accepting environment. And if you are a male coach, trainer, partner, or facilitator of a female based athlete/team, I ask and challenge you to please speak up about this condition and ensure it is accepted in your practice.
-With Love,
Ange xx
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