The effects of exercise and weight loss on the adolescent menstrual cycle and the development of secondary sexual characteristics.

Researchers from the University of Kentucky published an interesting, although complicated, review article on the above topic.

The causes of menstrual irregularities in female athletes are not completely understood, but chart A lists four possible contributory factors.

The end result of the factors in chart A is to produce a low-estrogen state which can delay puberty and the development of secondary sexual characteristics, and to cause menstrual irregularities in already pubertal females. A secondary but extremely important complication in these young women is decreased bone mineralization, similar to osteoporosis. Nothing is known of the long-term risk of …