Female Triathletes at Risk for Pelvic-Floor Disorders, Study

Researchers found that pelvic-floor disorder and other complications are common among female triathletes.

The study, led by researchers at the Loyola University Health System, states that 1 in every 3 female triathletes suffer from pelvic-floor disorder like urinary incontinence, bowel incontinence and pelvic-organ prolapse. Also, 1 in every 4 had an increased risk of suffering from reduced energy, menstrual irregularities and abnormal bone density.    

"There has been a surge in popularity of high-impact sports such as triathlons, but little has been known until now about the prevalence of pelvic health and certain other issues associated with endurance training and events," said Colleen Fitzgerald, MD, study investigator and physiatrist, LUHS.

The finding is based on the survey conducted on 311 women with a median age of 35-44 years. All the participants were part of triathelete groups. Nearly 82 percent of the women were being trained for triathlon when the survey was conducted. It was noted that, on an average, the participants ran for 3.7 days a weeks and biked for 2.9 days a week and swam for 2.4 days a week.

The researchers noticed that of those who reported symptoms of pelvic disorder, 16 percent of them had urgency urinary incontinence, 37.4 percent of them had urinary incontinence, 28 percent of them reported having bowel incontinence and 5 percent were seen having pelvic-organ prolapse.

However, they did not find any link between training mileage and intensity with pelvic-floor-disorder symptoms. Nearly 22 percent of them were screened positive for eating disorders, 24 percent had menstrual irregularities and 29 percent had abnormal bone strength.

"While both pelvic-floor disorders and the female athlete triad are prevalent in female triathletes, both are often ignored," said Johnny Yi, MD, urogynecologist and study investigator. "Doctors should be aware of how common these conditions are in this group of athletes and treat patients appropriately to avoid long-term health consequences."

The study will be presented at the American Urogynecologic Society 2014 Scientific Meeting in Washington, DC.