Athletes often stop getting their periods (amenorrhea) due to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), a condition where the body doesn't get enough fuel (calories) to support intense training, leading to hormonal disruptions that halt menstruation, often alongside low body fat and overtraining. It's a sign of physiological stress, not just fitness, impacting bone health and potentially fertility, and occurs when the energy used exceeds energy consumed, affecting reproductive hormones like estrogen.
Irregular or missed periods are more common in athletes and other women who train hard regularly. But if you haven't worked out in a long time and suddenly start a vigorous fitness routine, your period could stop or become irregular.
The menstrual cycle is a key physiological process in women: it impacts performance, neuromuscular control, metabolism, and immune response. For professional female athletes, fluctuations in hormones that happen throughout the menstrual cycle could impact risk of injury.
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.
The athlete should gradually increase her food intake until her menstrual periods return. If it is difficult for the athlete to increase her food intake, she may need to decrease her exercise and sports activity instead.
Missed periods (amenorrhea) may be caused by stress, under-nutrition, or over-exercise — all of which can lead to something called functional hypothalamic amenorrhea.
Unfortunately, pads can be difficult for athletes to use since they tend to be bulky, and if you sweat a lot, you may struggle with finding one that stays in place during competition. “Tampons are not a bad thing,” says LaBotz.
Professional swimmers often use products like tampons or menstrual cups to absorb blood and prevent leaks. Elite swimmers may also use birth control to shift their periods. While water pressure can temporarily slow the flow of menstruation, your period doesn't stop in the water, so some form of protection is necessary.
Puberty Happens Later
Especially in young female gymnasts, lower fat levels and high-intensity training can delay puberty. It's common for them to start menstruating later than peers.
The most common reasons are:
If you are a female of reproductive age and regularly get your period, you may notice that you feel more tired, less motivated, and potentially weaker around certain times of the month. This is because along with normal hormone fluctuations, training-related factors such as metabolic rate and strength are impacted.
If you're an athlete, losing your period for a while might not seem like a big deal. After all, this issue is quite common, affecting nearly 60% of female athletes, with some estimates as high as 80%.
The female athlete triad is a subset of REDs. It describes three interrelated conditions: disordered eating, irregular menstruation, and bone loss. The International Olympic Committee advanced the concept of the female athlete triad with the term REDs in 2014.
Your menstrual cycle is still considered to be within normal ranges if it occurs within 20–40 days of your last cycle. However, if you go more than six weeks without a period, it's considered to be a missed cycle.
Overall activity and exercise helps regulate the menstrual cycle and flow, which also may equate to less cramping and lighter periods.
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.
Level 10 is the highest level in the USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic Program, but no one at her gym had ever reached level 9. At the age of 11, Simone accomplished this feat. This was astonishing because the only junior gymnasts who ever made it to level 9 were those who wanted to pursue an elite career in gymnastics.
Sports such as gymnastics and figure skating have been associated with delayed puberty, especially in female participants.
The classic presentation of delayed puberty includes diminished height compared with peers (due to lack of pubertal growth acceleration) and lack of development of secondary sex characteristics; that is, no testicular enlargement (<4 mL) in boys by age 13.5 to 14 years or lack of breast development (Tanner I breasts) ...
It's unlikely for your period to leak out as the pressure from the water should slow the flow of blood (7,8). If your flow is very heavy or you cough or sneeze, there's a slight chance that some blood may leak out. The reassuring news is that it's unlikely to be noticeable in the pool or sea.
What can be said with certainty is that there is no solid evidence that hormonal contraception decreases athletic performance and that many elite female athletes use hormonal contraceptives with no apparent deleterious effects.
If your flow isn't too heavy, using organic pads or tampons is an easy fix to your monthly visit from Aunt Flo. Since leotards are pretty tight and fitting, they will typically stay in place and/or do the trick during practice or a competition.
The most common menstrual cycle symptoms reported by elite female athletes include: Mood changes. Fatigue. Abdominal cramps (reported by up to 80% of athletes)
In Japan, men might carry tampons for unexpected nosebleeds, first-aid use, or to support their partners. Plus, trans men and non-binary folks who menstruate use them too. Normalize it. No shame.
Periods. Floorball and ice hockey games are typically divided into three periods. A fourth period of overtime may be played in the event of a tie at the end of the third period.