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Estrogen Replacement Therapy and Female Athletes

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Abstract

Physicians commonly recommend estrogen replacement as treatment for exercise-associated amenorrhoea. While the evidence shows that the basis of the amenorrhoea is estrogen deficiency, it is not clear that it is the only factor in the development of lowered bone density found in oligo-amenorrhoeic female athletes. Nutritional factors, significant in the development of the reproductive dysfunction, could also contribute to bone loss. No randomised, controlled studies of estrogen replacement in athletes have been published. However, one non-randomised study of a small group of athletes does suggest that there are significant gains in bone density to be made by the initiation of estrogen therapy. More research is clearly needed.

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  1. Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Alberta, 201 Community Services Centre, Royal Alexandra Hospital, 10240 Kingsway Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, T5H 3V9, Canada

    David C. Cumming & Ceinwen E. Cumming

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  1. David C. Cumming
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Correspondence to David C. Cumming.

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Cumming, D.C., Cumming, C.E. Estrogen Replacement Therapy and Female Athletes. Sports Med 31, 1025–1031 (2001). https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200131150-00001

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