Dr. Dale Buchberger
Special to The Citizen
If you were a college athlete at any level â especially a female college athlete â you may have either experienced, or at least were familiar with, âFemale Athlete Triad.â According to the American College of Sports Medicine, the Female Athlete Triad was originally defined in 1992 as an interrelation of amenorrhea (missing one or more periods), osteoporosis (thinning and weakened bone structure), and disordered eating (irregular eating behaviors with negative consequences) that would exist simultaneously. Currently the American College of Sports Medicine has recognized that, âthese 3 conditions exist on a spectrum and they have since been renamed menstrual dysfunction, low bone mineral density, and low energy availability with or without an eating disorderâ. However, the athlete triad is not limited to female athletes. There is also a âMale Athlete Triadâ that consists of reduced le