Exercise, Body Weight, and Amenorrhea in Professional Ballet Dancers

In brief

Thirty-two professional female ballet dancers were studied by means of a gynecological questionnaire to determine the prevalence of menstrual dysfunction. Thirty-seven percent had a history of amenorrhea (p <.01 compared with controls). Forty-seven percent had a history of menstrual dysfunction manifested by delayed menarche, amenorrhea, or oligomenorrhea (p <.001 compared with controls). Menstrual dysfunction was related to both strenuous physical exercise and diminished body weight, and it was reversible, often disappearing with significant weight gain or intervals of less intense exercise. Thirteen women had pituitary hormone levels measured before and after exercise, and both were within the normal range.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jerald L. Cohen

The authors are in the cardiology and endocrinology sections of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in East Orange, New Jersey, and on the faculty of the department of internal medicine at the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School in Newark. Dr. Cohen is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Chung S. Kim

The authors are in the cardiology and endocrinology sections of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in East Orange, New Jersey, and on the faculty of the department of internal medicine at the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School in Newark. Dr. Cohen is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Philip B. May

The authors are in the cardiology and endocrinology sections of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in East Orange, New Jersey, and on the faculty of the department of internal medicine at the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School in Newark. Dr. Cohen is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine.

Norman H. Ertel

The authors are in the cardiology and endocrinology sections of the Veterans Administration Medical Center in East Orange, New Jersey, and on the faculty of the department of internal medicine at the College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School in Newark. Dr. Cohen is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine.