Eating behaviours, menstrual history and the athletic career: a retrospective survey from adolescence to adulthood in female endurance athletes

AIM: To evaluate differences in menstrual and pubertal history and trends in eating behaviours among women with and without a competitive sports background. Additionally, we investigated if menstrual history and eating behaviours are associated with sports career-related factors. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted on 100 women with a competitive endurance sports background and their age-matched, gender-matched and municipality-matched controls (n=98). Data were collected using a questionnaire using previously validated instruments. Generalised estimating equations were used to calculate associations of menstrual history and eating behaviours with outcome variables (career length, participation level, injury-related harms and career termination due to injury). RESULTS: Athletes reported higher rates of delayed puberty and menstrual dysfunction than controls. No differences between the groups were observed in the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire short form (EDE-QS) scores at any age. Previous disordered eating (DE) was associated with current DE in both groups. Among athletes, higher EDE-QS scores during the sports career were associated with a shorter career (B=−0.15, 95% CI −0.26 to –0.05). Secondary amenorrhoea was associated with lower participation level (OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.95), injury-related harms during the career (OR 4.00, 95% CI 1.88 to 8.48) and career termination due to injury (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.02 to 3.51). CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that DE behaviours and menstrual dysfunction, specifically secondary amenorrhoea, have a disadvantageous relationship with a sports career in women competing in endurance sports. DE during the sports career is associated with DE after the career.