"If an athlete doesn’t look skinny, sometimes judges will mark them down for it," says Stuhr.

In 1997, 2.36 million girls participated in high school sports, compared to 300,000 in 1972. Over 127,000 college women played sports in 1997, compared with 31,852 in 1972, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. As the number of women in sports increases, so does the potential for them to suffer from the triad.

A greater number of women are participating in sports today than ever before.

The college issued a report in May 1997 concluding that the triad is a serious syndrome that can result in death, is underreported and that research and education is needed. Because the condition is new, there are no accurate statistics yet available.

At the urging of her doctors and a nutritionist, Aimee agreed to slowly increase her calories and decrease her exercise level. She is now at a healthy weight for her height, at around 134 pounds. She says she went through a withdrawal of sorts, not being able to run as much as wants. But she considers herself recovered.

"I’m OK now," she says. "I adjusted [to less running] after a few weeks."