If you're an athlete in surgical menopause, you've probably noticed that most sports nutrition and health conversations don’t include you. Discussions around Low Energy Availability (LEA) tend to focus on younger athletes, those with natural hormone cycles, or those navigating perimenopause. But what about athletes who have gone through surgical menopause and still want to train and compete at a high level?
LEA happens when the energy an athlete consumes isn’t enough to support both training and essential bodily functions. It can lead to hormonal imbalances, decreased bone density, slower recovery, and increased risk of injury. When LEA persists, it develops into Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), a syndrome that impacts everything from cardiovascular health to immune function and mental well-being.
For athletes in surgical menopause, recognizing LEA is even harder. One of the biggest red flags for LEA in premenopausal women is menstrual irregularity or loss of a period. But if you’ve had a hysterectomy or oophorectomy, that signal is gone. That means the early signs of LEA—fatigue, mood changes, performance declines, and increased injury risk—are easier to overlook or misattribute to aging or the effects of surgery.
This challenge isn't unique to surgical menopause. Perimenopausal athletes also struggle to recognize LEA because fluctuating hormones create overlapping symptoms like fatigue, poor recovery, and mood swings. But for those in perimenopause, periods might still serve as a clue, even if they’re irregular. In surgical menopause, the abrupt loss of estrogen and testosterone increases the risk of bone loss and metabolic disruptions even more, making the consequences of LEA more immediate and severe.
What makes this even more frustrating is that there’s little guidance out there for athletes in this stage of life. Sports science and nutrition research largely ignore surgical menopause, leaving many athletes without clear strategies to fuel and train effectively. This lack of representation can make it harder to get the support you need, both from healthcare providers and from training resources designed for a different hormonal reality.
So what can you do? First, start by paying attention to how you're fueling. Are you eating enough to support both your training and your overall health? Are you recovering well, or are you constantly fatigued and sore? Have you noticed changes in your performance, mood, or ability to build and maintain muscle?
If any of this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. And you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Working with a coach who understands the intersection of surgical menopause, endurance training, and strength work can make all the difference. My coaching approach is built around meeting athletes where they are, making adjustments based on your unique physiology, and ensuring that you’re fueling and training in a way that supports both performance and long-term health.
If you're ready to take control of your training, avoid the pitfalls of LEA, and perform at your best, let's work together. You deserve a training approach that includes your experience, not one that ignores it.