Prevalence of the female athlete triad in edirne, Turkey

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the female athlete triad, which is a clinical condition defined as the simultaneous occurrence of disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteopenia and/or osteoporosis in female athletes. A total number of 224 female athletes from Edirne city participated in our study. Eating attitudes test (EAT 40) and a self-administered questionnaire were used to assess disordered eating behavior and menstrual status respectively. The participants having both disordered eating and amenorrhea were performed dual energy x-ray absorptiometry to evaluate bone mineral density. Thirty seven subjects (16.8%) had disordered eating behavior and 22 subjects (9.8%) were reported to have amenorrhea. Six athletes (2.7%) met two criteria (disordered eating and amenorrhea) of the triad. Of these, only three athletes met all components of the triad. We have found that the prevalence rate of female athlete triad was 1.36% among young Turkish female athletes. Female athletes have under considerable risk for the disordered eating and amenorrhea components of the triad. Key PointsThe prevalence rate of the occurrence of whole criteria of the female athlete triad was 1.36 % in young Turkish athletes in Edirne.Female athletes who met whole criteria of female athlete triad are more prone to the eating disorders.The occurrence of disordered eating behavior was higher in female athletes according to general population.Amenorrhea prevalence was significantly higher in female athletes who had disordered eating.