[pct-l] Calling all Women Hikers!

[micheletoms_uk at yahoo.co.uk (Michele Toms)]

Calling women thru-hikers! For squeamish men, read no
further :-)

As a doctor and a thru-hiker, I have been interested
in the health of hikers while on the trail.
Anecdotally, it seemed that some women stopped having
their periods, probably due to weight loss and
excessive exercise. There is a recognised condition
called Female Athlete Syndrome that comprises a triad
of amenorrhea (lack of menstrual period), disordered
eating and osteoporosis. I wouldn?t exactly consider
that hikers have eating disorders in the conventional
sense, but they can have a rather irregular diet.
Osteoporosis is a real threat to the thru-hiker, as it
can predispose to stress fractures.

I?m interested in collecting data in the form of a
questionnaire from any female hiker who has hiked all
or sections of the PCT, in any year. The more data I
can collect the better. I am just as interested in
replies from women who had no problems as well as
those who did, so as not to bias the data. The
information will be kept confidential and anonymous. I
intend to write up a report which will be discussed
with fellow doctors, and will make it available to
hikers on request. It may help future women hikers
intending on embarking on a long hike.

Please respond directly to me off-list if you would
like to help with this study; it will involve
approximately 10 minutes of your time filling in a
questionnaire.

Dr Michele Toms (half of Dave-and-Michele)
PCT ?05


		
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