photo: washington sports clubs

Washington Sports Clubs play on women's insecurities about their bodies in an attempt to recruit nre female members.

But instead of getting healthier, symptoms of ill health began to emerge.

"First, I did not get my period for a long time," says the native New Yorker, who asked that her last name be withheld. "This was after drastic weight loss."

Aimee had dieted and exercised herself down to 119 pounds on a 5-foot-7-inch frame. Her undereating and excessive exercise led her to be diagnosed with the "female athlete triad."

The term was coined in 1992 by a group of sports medicine physicians to describe a condition in women athletes where leanness is perceived to improve performance. These women restrict their eating, and lose their period while training vigorously. They often develop low bone density and premature osteoporosis, or slow bone loss.