Female triathletes run the risk of developing pelvic-floor disorders and host of other health problems, a new research by Loyola University Health System shows.
Researchers found that women triathletes are at increased risk of pelvic-floor disorders, decreased energy, menstrual irregularities and abnormal bone density.
The national governing body for triathlons in the U.S. stated that there was an increase of 5.5 percent in its annual membership between the years 2012 and 2013. The training involved in triathlons is rigorous.
For the study, the researchers surveyed 311 women aged averagely between 35 and 44. They all were part of a triathlete group. Researchers noted that nearly 82 percent of these women were in he process of training for triathlon during the time of the study. On average the participating women ran 3.7 days in a week, swam 2.4 days a week and biked 2.9 days in a week.
Researchers found that 1 out of 3 of the women had pelvic floor disorders, 16 percent had urgency urinary incontinence, 37.4 percent suffered stress urinary incontinence, 5 percent had pelvic organ prolapse and 28 percent experienced bowel incontinence.
The team also found that one out of four of these women had at least one symptom of "female athlete triad" syndrome, 24 per cent had irregular menstruation, 22 per cent experienced problematic eating patterns and 29 per cent of the women had abnormal bone strength.
"While both pelvic floor disorders and the female athlete triad are prevalent in female triathletes, both are often ignored. Doctors should be aware of how common these conditions are in this group of athletes and treat patients appropriately to avoid long-term health consequences," study author Johnny Yi, MD, urogynecologist said.
The study was presented at American Urogynecologic Society 2014 Scientific meeting in Washington,DC.
