Ever had your period go MIA and just... chalked it up to training hard? You're not alone, but it's not something to brush off. In this episode of Let's Digest This, we're breaking down the Female Athlete Triad: what it actually is, why losing your period is a bigger deal than most people realize, and what it means for your bones, your hormones, and your fertility - both now and in the future. We're also getting into something that doesn't get talked about enough: how do you know if a missing period is from under-fueling, or if something else like PCOS or a thyroid issue is going on? Because the answer actually changes everything about next steps. This one is for the runners, the gym-goers, the dancers, the women who push hard and sometimes forget to eat enough to match it. Tune in — your body will thank you.

References

Nattiv A, et al. "The Female Athlete Triad." Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2007.

Mountjoy M, et al. "RED-S: Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport." British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014.

Gibbs JC, et al. "Bone mineral density and stress fractures in amenorrheic athletes." British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014.

Gordon CM, et al. "Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline." Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2017.

Fourman LT, Fazeli PK. "Neuroendocrine causes of amenorrhea — an update." JCEM, 2015.