What is the 'terrible triad' of the female athlete?

What is the 'terrible triad' of the female athlete?

Gary Brazina (Sports Medicine Physician) gives expert video advice on: What is an 'acute' injury?; What is an 'overuse' injury?; What is a 'fracture'? and more...

The terrible triad of the female athlete is a very common problem today. Number one is eating disorders, whether it be bulimia or anorexia. Because of that, these women take in less protein and calcium. Because they take in less protein and calcium, they become amenorrhoeic - they don't have their periods. Therefore, oestrogen levels continue to drop. Then what happens is female athletes don't take in enough calcium and they develop stress fractures and premature osteoporosis.