Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhoea (FHA) - Information and Treatment for Dancers
The occurrence of sescondary amenorrhoea can be up to around 69% in dancers. The main cause is the intense physical training which leads to negative enrgy balance.
Even if a dancer ‘looks’ healthy, sudden increase in training or decrease in energy intake can trigger reduction in oestrogen production, leading to the loss of period.
Restriction (aka dieting) will lead to overeating and negative self talk
The reasons dancers go on a diet are many. But whatever the reason is, dieting will almost always backfire. Dancers need to be eating enough to fuel their training to keep up their best performance and health.
The link between Dancers and Eating Disorders
Ballet is not the Cause of Eating Disorders in dancers. It can be one of the main triggers, and the common culture is unfortunately eating-disorder-promoting rather than -preventing. The important thing to remember is that Eating Disorder is a biopsychosocial illness, and that dancers can be vulnerable due to various reaons, mainly the temperament (personality traits) and the dance training environment. Knowing the facts can help you prevent the disorder from developing, meaning that dancers’ health and career can be prolonged.