AMAYA DRESSLER • May 17, 2021
In recent years, the menstrual cycle has emerged as such a reliable predictor of health that some doctors are deeming it the "sixth vital sign." But, if periods are so important, why do we make them taboo?
That stigma is especially concerning given all that can go wrong when menstrual cycles are disrupted, or when periods disappear altogether. For some people, such disruption (or loss) is caused by Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (HA), a disorder which, by some estimates, affects dancers at more than 13 times the rate of the general population. Left untreated, HA can place a dancer's health—and career—in jeopardy.
What is HA?
If, say, dance activity ramps up or calorie-intake drops too low, a dancer can enter, what's called, an energy deficit. Over time, these deficits—usually trending more and more severe—put stress on the body. And as that stress intensifies, the body tries to protect itself by conserving energy wherever possible, shutting down processes less essential to survival. For people with HA who menstruate, this could mean no longer getting their periods.
What are the consequences?
Linked with illnesses spanning from depression to heart disease, the implications of HA can seem endless. But for dancers, one side effect, in particular, has the potential to be career-ending: Estrogen-deficiency can cause women with HA to lose an estimated 2-3% of their bone mass per year. Rachel Fine, a registered dietician and founder of ToThePointeNutrition, warns that the demands of dancing while having low-bone density can be disastrous: “Dancers can see stress fractures in as little as three months after losing their period,” Fine says, cautioning that even one missed period is a red flag, and such dancers should consult with a licensed medical professional.
Why is HA so common in the dance world?
Intense training could answer that question, in part—but the prevalence of dancers with HA compared to other athletes suggests cultural influences are at play, too.
There is no dispute that the modern image of a ballet dancer is unrepresentative of most bodies—yet it remains a standard across genres. In some dance spaces, extreme thinness is the measure for dancer ability. But this is not simply a limiting bias—it is demonstrably false, and harmful to dancers. The consequences of maintaining a physique below one’s natural weight range are numerous, impeding every faculty a dancer needs to thrive. Chronic under-eating obstructs memory, stalls muscle growth, and one bad fracture can end a career.
Ability is maximized when health is optimized, and health requires proper nourishment—but only when "health" is a virtue, not a liability.
AMAYA DRESSLER
Amaya Dressler is a writer, filmmaker and former dancer residing in southern PA. For her work in film, she's received a student Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and an award for ‘best music video’ from NYU’s undergraduate film department. She will expand her editorial work next year at Princeton University.
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