Menstrual Disturbances in Adolescent Athletes without Disordered Eating

Abstract

Menstrual disturbances in athletes have been shown to result from low energy availability, which is often caused by disordered eating, but may also be the result of inadvertently failing to meet energy needs. Currently, little is known about athletes who have menstrual disturbances without disordered eating. PURPOSE: To describe factors that contribute to menstrual disturbances in adolescent athletes with and without disordered eating. METHODS: Fifty-one female athletes, 15 to 19 y, were screened from a larger cohort, using the Drive for Thinness, Bulimia, and Body Dissatisfaction subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory and a self-developed menstrual history questionnaire, and assigned to one of the following groups: 1) current menstrual disturbances with no disordered eating (MD; n= 10), 2) current menstrual disturbances with disordered eating (MDDE; n= 11), 3) no current menstrual disturbances with disordered eating (DE; n= 14), or 4) no current menstrual disturbances with no disordered eating (CON; n= 16). Self-reported body weight and height, menstrual history, sports participation, weekly training load (min/wk x intensity), and dietary intake (food frequency questionnaire), were assessed. A logistic regression model was used to predict menstrual disturbances in the absence of disordered eating. RESULTS: BMI, training load, and dietary intake were similar between the groups. Age of menarche was higher in the MD group (13.6 ± 1.3 y) than the CON (12.3 ± 1.1 y) (p < 0.05) and the MD group reported fewer menstrual periods during the first year of menstruation than all other groups (p < 0.05). The logistic regression model indicated that age at menarche and participation in endurance sports significantly predicted menstrual disturbances in the absence of disordered eating. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the current study indicate that a later age of menarche and participation in endurance sports are the strongest predictors of menstrual disturbances in adolescent athletes without disordered eating. The number of menstrual cycles during the first year of menstruation may also be a risk factor for menstrual disturbances.