Exercise-induced amenorrhea and bone health in the adolescent athlete.
The main cause of amenorrhea in athletes seems to be an inhibition of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis and it might be that prolonged
exercise-induced amenorrhea has adverse cardiovascular consequences [20,21].
[18.] Miles, M.: Leptin: A link between energy imbalance and
exercise-induced amenorrhea in female athletes.
Little evidence and no specific guidelines exist to guide the clinician in evaluating and managing
exercise-induced amenorrhea. All athletes with amenorrhea should have a pregnancy test, because pregnancy is the most common cause of secondary amenorrhea.
But for anorexic patients, the potential benefits might be offset by the risk of fractures, delayed weight gain, and
exercise-induced amenorrhea.
However, for patients with anorexia nervosa, the potential benefits of exercise might be offset by the risk of fractures, delayed weight gain, and
exercise-induced amenorrhea.
(24.) Jenkins PJ, Ibanez-Santos X, Holly J, Cotterill A, Perry L, Wolman R, Harries M, Grossman A: IGFBP-1: Metabolic signal associated with
exercise-induced amenorrhea. Neuroendocrinology 57:600-604, 1993.
The other ovary was removed in Arizona at age 29 because it was interfering with her hormone replacement therapy which she was taking to treat
exercise-induced amenorrhea.
Once other causes are ruled out, process of elimination leaves you with the diagnosis of an
exercise-induced amenorrhea. Not only are you at increased risk of bone fracture while experiencing a loss of periods, the condition may not be reversible.
Although
exercise-induced amenorrhea is usually reversible, other medical consequences of these changes may be more significant, Cumming says.
These findings suggest that mechanisms other than hypoestrogenism may be involved in the osteopenia associated with
exercise-induced amenorrhea.
Kutluk Oktay described a 29-year-old woman who had one ovary removed in her teen years and the other removed because it was interfering with her hormone replacement therapy, which she was taking to treat
exercise-induced amenorrhea.