I hear a bunch of rumours like ballerinas stop having a menstruation cycle because they are so skinny. So I was wondering what are some good physical health benefits from being a ballerina and some bad physical health risks from being a ballerina?
Ballerinas face the same health risks as young female athletes when they don’t eat enough to offset the energy they spend, and stop menstruating as a consequence, says a new study.
The study, led by sports medicine researcher Anne Ho ch, D.O., at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, has been presented at the American College of Sports Medicine meeting in Seattle.
"These two components of the female athlete tetras put them at higher risk for the other two; the cardiovascular and bone density deficits of much older, postmenopausal women," according to Dr. Ho ch, associate professor of orthopedic surgery and director of the Froedtert and the Medical College Women’s Sports Medicine Center.
The researchers studied 22 professional ballerinas, all members of the Milwaukee Ballet Company, to determine the prevalence of disordered eating, amenorrhea (lack of menstruation), abnormal vascular function and low bone density.
The dancers completed questionnaires on their menstrual patterns and eating habits, and underwent a blood test for hormonal levels. Thirty-six percent of the group had disordered eating habits and 77 percent were in a calorie deficit. Twenty-seven percent were currently amenorrheic, 23 percent had low bone mass density and nine percent were taking birth control.rterial ultrasound measurements revealed that 64 percent had abnormal artery dilation in response to blood flow.
"It was unknown if professional dancers without menstrual periods have evidence of vascular dysfunction, yet some characteristics of the tetrad were common in this group," says Dr. Hoch.
"Eighty-six percent had one or more components, and fourteen percent had all four," the expert added.