Why is this important? Are there any risks?
Benefits to Me, the Participant:
- You will have bone density, hormone levels, body fat, and fitness levels measured.
- You will receive information about the importance of adequate food intake for reproductive health.
- You will receive nutrition and diet analysis, and measures of daily energy intake and expenditure.
- In return for your participation, you will receive a complete report of your scores on the tests and procedures, and an explanation of the meaningfulness of the results of this study from the study doctor.
Benefits to Society
- By participating in this research, you will help increase our knowledge of how energy levels and diet affect the menstrual cycle and bones.
- These results may help doctors and scientists understand how they can prevent and reverse menstrual problems and the bone loss that occurs in some women who exercise.
Risks
- There are risks associated with study participation, which include but are not limited to:
- The risks associated with single blood samples obtained with a needle and syringe may for example: local discomfort, occasional dizziness and nausea, and black and blue marks.
- The discomfort associated with increasing the amount of food you eat - for those volunteers with irregular or absent menstrual cycles who are in the intervention group required to eat more calories, or for EAMD Controls who elect to increase their calories.
- Frequent lab visits, repeated testing, collecting one’s urine for the duration of the study may represent inconveniences for participant
- A full explanation of all the risks associated with the study is available in the informed consent.