Female Athlete Clinic

At the initial evaluation, your child will meet with several members of our team, including a medical provider, a registered dietitian and a licensed athletic trainer. Your child's evaluation begins with a comprehensive history and medical exam with a licensed athletic trainer and a sports medicine provider. The team will gather information about your child's eating habits, menstrual cycles, training/sport schedule, injury history, and attitudes about her weight and body image. Blood tests may be ordered to evaluate for nutritional deficiency or other causes of menstrual dysfunction. If there is a concurrent sports injury, imaging may be ordered. You will also meet with a registered dietitian for a detailed evaluation of your child's current eating habits, dietary preferences, and nutrition related goals. This comprehensive evaluation will take about 2 hours, so please plan for an extended time in the clinic. We will educate you and your child on female athlete triad and partner with you to identify the best treatment plan.

The most effective treatment for the female athlete triad involves a team approach that involves the athlete, her family and the medical team. Athletes are monitored by regularly reassessing symptoms, vital signs and physical exam findings to ensure she has enough energy available to support her sports activities and growth. If there is a history of stress fractures or other significant concerns about bone health, your medical provider may also recommend a bone density test to check the strength of your child's bones. Additionally, appropriate management of any concurrent sports injuries will be addressed if necessary. Referral to a psychologist may be beneficial for athletes who are struggling with stressful circumstances in their lives or are feeling pressure to succeed, both of which may cause athletes to adopt unhealthy eating patterns. We help our patients' families develop a supportive environment at home to encourage their child to engage in healthy eating behaviors and safe training practices to achieve her athletic goals.

Our goal is to return your child to her sport as quickly and safely as possible. In some cases, your child may be able to continue practicing and competing during treatment; however, exercise duration and frequency, along with nutrition, will be closely monitored. In more serious cases, your child may not be returned to sport until she has demonstrated that she can sustain healthy eating behaviors and fuel appropriately to support basic metabolic needs. Additionally, athletes must demonstrate adequate recovery from injury (if present) before she is safely returned to sport.

Our providers may recommend cognitive behavioral therapy to help cope with stress associated with the presence of injury and the potential for adjustments to current level of participation.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy is done with a psychologist or other therapist.
  • This therapy involves recognizing the root cause of increased psychological symptoms, and helping the child rebuild coping strategies to help improve them.

Visits with our sports psychologists are scheduled by calling the Concussion Line at (414) 604-7500.

If there is concern for female athlete triad, or any related components, please feel free to reach out to our team in the Sports Medicine Program. A staff of licensed athletic trainers and providers can help answer questions and address concerns. This can be done by calling our Sports Line at (414) 604-7512 ext. 3. It is also important to discuss potential concerns with your primary care provider and referrals into the Female Athlete Clinic can be made if appropriate.

Locations

Mequon Clinic
Greenfield Clinic

Our specialists

• Cynthia Dusel, APNP
• Victoria Flanagan, LAT, OTC
• Kim Hornbeck, MD
• Ashlee Mikles, RD
• Leah Scalf, MS, LAT