Female Athlete Program

Female athletes have unique needs and deserve specialized care. From nutrition and dietary needs to improved sports performance and sports-related injury care, our program takes a female athlete-specific approach. The Female Athlete Program at Children’s Hospital Colorado’s Sports Medicine Center is here to provide holistic care to adolescent and young adult female athletes who want to feel and play their best.

What is the Female Athlete Program?

As the only female athlete program in Colorado, our multidisciplinary team provides comprehensive care. Our expert team includes medical and nutrition specialists from our Sports Medicine Center, as well as referrals to physical therapists, psychologists, adolescent medicine specialists, endocrinologists and adolescent gynecologists as needed, depending on each athlete’s treatment plan.

Often, the health of female athletes isn’t addressed at all levels. But here, our program specifically treats female athletes and the injuries or conditions that distinctly affect young women at a hormonal, nutritional and musculoskeletal level. Those may include:

• Sports-related injuries
• The female athlete triad and relative energy deficiency in sport (REDs)
• Disordered eating and eating disorders
• Bone stress injuries and low bone mineral density
• Menstrual irregularities for female athletes
• Sports performance concerns

What to expect during a visit to our Female Athlete Program

When you come to our program for your first visit, you can expect one-on-one consultations from:

• An athletic trainer
• A sports medicine physician
• A sports dietitian

During this visit, you or your athlete will undergo an evaluation by our athletic trainer and sports medicine physician, Aubrey Armento, MD, which includes:

• Medical and injury history overview
• Menstrual health assessment
• Imaging and lab tests as needed
• An individualized treatment plan that can include activity modifications, cross-training and return-to-sport planning

Further, a nutrition consultation with our registered sports dietitian, Amanda McCarthy, will include:

• A review of dietary and health history
• Current nutrition and exercise habits
• Individualized nutrition goals with strategies to optimize recovery, overall health and sports performance based on the female athlete’s specific nutritional needs.

Based on the initial findings and treatment plans, our team may refer athletes to other specialists across the hospital. Some athletes may need physical therapy while others may need mental health specialists based on their injury or condition. Based on each athlete’s needs, we’ll schedule follow-up appointments and adjust their treatment plan as they progress.

Who we treat at our Female Athlete Program

We specialize in working with all female adolescent and young adult athletes to reach their sports goals. Our program cares for any sports-related injury or concern with a female athlete-specific approach.

Why choose us for female athlete care?

Our program offers a multidisciplinary care team, focused on the whole athlete, with a special emphasis on care tailored to the female athlete. Throughout this team, we have expertise treating growing adolescents and young adults and understand how to provide unique medical and nutrition care.

We offer:

• Personalized treatment plans to improve performance and get you back to playing your best
• A team of specialists that view you, and your care, holistically.
• The only pediatric focused female athlete program in the region offering complete care for adolescent and young adult female athletes.