Athletically Induced Amenorrhea/ Female Athlete Triad

A woman posted to an online group about her high school aged daughter having amenorrhea and low estrogen. The gynecologist wanted to put the girl on birth control pills to boost her estrogen. Since I had already come across references to this condition during my searches I went out looking for more links so that she and her daughter could see there were other ways to treat this condition that did not include hormones.

The female athlete triad is three conditions that show up together in women athletes who overexert themselves: osteoporosis, amenorrhea and disordered eating.

Here are some links to learn more about what they know about this condition:

ATHLETIC AMENORRHEA

Amenorrhea in Adolescent Athletes

Female Athlete Triad

Female athletes face risks in overtraining

Menstrual Disturbances in Female Athletes


Poor diet, excess exercise can mean weak bones, heart trouble for young women

The Opponent: the Female Athlete Triad


From a quick scan it sounds like the issue is dietary and that increasing calcium and D intake (don't forget about magnesium, and likely zinc as well) might help improve hormone production/balance.

Do a google search on the terms "athletically induced amenorrhea" or "ballet amenorrhea" (lots of ballet dancers have this problem), also "female athlete triad" and you will find more info.

You also might be interested in this article from a traditional chinese medicine standpoint:

Restoring the Flow -- TCM and Amenorrhea