An estimated 25 percent of female elite athletes report chronically missing their periods, and some analyses of ballerinas and long-distance runners suggest the problem is even more prevalent in those groups.
Any changes in normal hormone levels can lead to menstrual dysfunction, especially in athletes. This can be caused by overtraining, stress, dieting and weight loss. Typically, menstrual dysfunction occurs when the amount of energy used by athletes exceeds the amount of energy taken in through nutrition.
Women most at risk for losing menstrual cycles are athletes participating in sports where low body weight is considered an advantage; examples include running, ballet and figure skating, but it can happen any time there is an imbalance in the energy expended and caloric intake.
Amenorrhea occurs in 3.4 to 66 percent of female athletes, compared with only 2 to 5 percent of women in the general population.
Another common practice among sportswomen is taking birth control pills. In one study, about half of athlete respondents revealed that they were using hormonal contraceptives. Doing so helped them control the frequency of their cycle, its timing, and the intensity of menstrual bleeding.
Most competitive swimmers and other swimmers rely on tampons when it comes to managing their periods while swimming. And according to a recent Knix study, they're the second most popular period product in general. Tampons have the advantage of being familiar.
Tampons are a common choice for many dancers and gymnasts for a lot of the same reasons as the menstrual cup – they're invisible under a leotard. If your teen is comfortable with using tampons, this can be a good option.
High levels of physical activity leave minimal energy to maintain the hormonal requirements for fertilization. However, the decrease in fertility is temporary and restores when weight is gained. Low body fat can also cause irregular periods or periods to stop, which indicates that the body is not ovulating.
While she did appear to get a cycle thanks to oral contraceptives, experts now know menstrual irregularities in runners usually stem from a mismatch between the energy they take in and how much they expend, and that oral hormones only mask the underlying issues.
Excessive exercise can suppress the luteinizing hormone, which is the hormone which triggers ovulation in women and is necessary for normal reproductive health and sexual development.
Being underweight can cause you to not have a period. This commonly occurs in competitive athletes and women with eating disorders. Women need at least 22% body fat to menstruate regularly. 11 Having a BMI of 18.5 or under can impact your period.
reduce fertility. reduce your chances of falling pregnant. increase the risk of cardiovascular disease – such as high blood pressure. increase the risk of early onset osteoporosis – a long-term disease that makes your bones less dense and more fragile.
No specific threshold at which exercise leads to menstrual dysfunction has been defined because contributing physiological and psychological factors produce considerable individual variation. However, women who run more than 50 miles each week have a significantly increased incidence of amenorrhoea.
Some gymnasts may experience what's considered primary amenorrhea, meaning they have not started their period by 15 ½ years of age. This is usually due to inadequate energy availability for high level athletes.
Amenorrhea is a common occurrence among many female athletes, particularly fitness competitors or bodybuilders since they are required to get down to such low body fat levels.
Girls usually stop growing taller about 2 years after starting their menstrual period.
Missed periods (amenorrhea) may be caused by stress, under-nutrition, or over-exercise — all of which can lead to something called functional hypothalamic amenorrhea. Other causes of secondary amenorrhea include polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), pituitary abnormalities, and thyroid dysfunction, among others.
Intense exercise can interrupt the balance of hormones that drives your menstrual cycle. This can cause you to bleed when you are not on your period, have a lighter flow than normal, or stop having a flow at all. Young athletes, especially those who are eating very little, are well known to experience this.
Take a few weeks off running after your season
I recommend you take 1-2 weeks off every 4-6 months of running. if you have a big marathon or race that you have been training for, after that is the perfect time to do this, but if you are racing shorter distances, pick a point to be the end of your season, then rest.
Exercise/physical activity and fertility
Exercise/being active can boost your fertility (the ability to get pregnant). Women who do regular, moderate exercise get pregnant quicker than women who don't exercise regularly.
Scientists have theorized that a low waist-to-hip ratio is associated with heightened fertility. That is, women with an hourglass figure are more likely to be able to conceive a child. The idea is that men who are drawn to women with hourglass figures will have more children.
Changes in an athlete's body during pregnancy can increase the risk of overheating, dehydration, and low blood sugar. Pregnancy may also make some problems worse in athletes, such as loss of bone density, anemia, pelvic floor dysfunction, incontinence, and different musculoskeletal problems.
Protection. On heavy days, Streicher suggests doubling up: Wear a tampon and a thong panty liner in your leotard for additional, unbulky protection. Then, layer your tights over your leotard, or, if your studio allows it, wear dark-colored, fitted shorts.
What do gymnasts wear under their leotards? Normally, gymnasts don't wear underwear under their leotards. Just like swimwear, leos can provide gymnasts the support and protection they need.
Many people's hymens get worn down and thin out over time from participating in physical activities like biking, horseback riding, gymnastics, and even masturbating, Dr. Rosser notes. The thinner your hymen gets, the more likely it is to eventually tear.