Reproductive health of the fem ale athletes

Abstract

Physicians, including gynecologists, who deal with sportswomen, do not always consider in their everyday practice the changes in female reproductive function caused by severe physical exercises. A t the same time, this problem is so important, that in 1992 American College of Sports Medicine introduced the term Female Athlete Triad, describing interrelationships between eating disorders, amenorrhea and osteoporosis. It is well known that menarche in athletes occur later than in sedentary women, 5-50% o f athletes are amenorrheic, anovulation takes place in 16%, luteal phase deficiency -in 4 2 % of female athletes. The high rate of ovarian insufficiency among athletes and theirprobable unfavorable sequelae require the problems in treatment andprevention of reproductive disorders in female athletes to be solved. This must be done within the modem standards of reproductive medicine.