LADIES!

A write up I did for another page recently that some of you may enjoy.

I have copy and pasted the write up below. I hope some of you find this insightful!


--------------------------------------
Hard Training Women and Their Menstrual Cycle
Many women that train intensely have experienced a loss of or abnormalities in their menstrual cycle. There are a few reasons for this occurrence. Much of it comes from the effects exercise can potentially have on hormones such as progesterone and estrogen. In fact, exercise has the potential to lower both of these hormones according to a study which I will post below. More specifically, abnormalities occurred during the luteal phase.

The luteal phase is the phase of a female’s cycle that occurs after ovulation. A short luteal phase can make becoming pregnant an issue. Much of this comes from the lack of progesterone secretion that occurs from intense exercise. Low estrogen can also play a role in loss of MC normality, though through the blood work I have seen, its typically not the reason. At least not as commonly seen as the progesterone issue.


Many women experience similar menstrual issues during times of extreme caloric deficit/low body fat as well.
First and foremost, the athlete needs to examine their training protocol. In some cases, they may genuinely be over training. I tend to see this in women that combine intense weight training with a large amount of cardiovascular exercise as well. Hence why it often happens in contest prep or intense fat loss phases. The factors are often combined with low body fat in these situations as well so it’s a double whammy.


If these issues cannot be corrected through training changes or changes to the plan in general, then it may be time to consult a physician. The fact of the matter is; the body can only handle so much. There are plenty of women that simply will not be able to push themselves beyond limits without having issue regardless of how sound their plan is. At that point you have to ask yourself what you want to pursue. Could there be potential fertility issues if someone goes without a normal MC for a long period? Sure can be! Could there be other issues that come along with that? Maybe but it depends on a number of factors. Without naming names, I know several women personally that have not had a normal period or any period for a LONG TIME. Outside of that they are healthy as a horse. These women are not concerned with fertility though and its plausible that they could enhance fertility later on if they wanted to. These are natural athletes that I am referencing too so it’s not caused by enhancement supplements (which often stop periods). With that said, some women simply feel sub par if their MC is off. If hormones are down regulated then energy, libido etc. may be impacted. Again, person dependent!


Chances are doctors are going to tell you that you are training too hard and want you to stop, gain body fat etc. That may or may not be an option for you depending on your preferences. Hormone therapy can be another potential route as well. Testing will need to be done to see where the deficiencies are at. It could be as simple as a progesterone jump start. Others may need a combination hormone therapy short or long term. Blood work well help determine this. This is all assuming that the athlete does not have an underlying issue that has not been addressed like endometriosis or PCOS.


As stated above, there is a lot of individual variance in tolerance levels when it comes to training, low body fat etc. Some women can beat themselves into the ground with no interruption in their menstrual cycle. Others tend to lose their period rather easily. This depends on a number of factors such as baseline hormone levels, genetics, recovery ability etc. Therefore, what one person may be able to do without issues won’t be the same as the next person.
As always ladies, you should consult your physician when dealing with these issues and contemplating any kind of hormone therapy. This write up is more so to shed a little light on what MIGHT be occurring since I get questions about this a lot and see these issues often.
Additional links:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1902847
http://www.livestrong.com/…/359127-increased-exercise-and-…/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21903887