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The components of the female athlete triad involve three physiologic processes: (abnormal) menstrual function, (decreased) bone mineral density (BMD), and (low) energy availability.
A clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reviews key features of this condition likely encountered by pediatricians:
About 1% of high school athletes have all 3 components, 4–18% have two, and 16–54% have one.
Athletes participating in sports in which leanness, aesthetics, endurance, or weight class grouping are emphasized are at increased risk for triad disorder, as are those specializing in one sport at an early age and those who diet.
Disordered eating leads to low energy availability (EA; dietary energy intake minus daily exercise energy e…