Excessive Exercise Can Delay Menstruation: Myth or Fact?

Exercise is good for your overall health. It also helps with period cramps. So can exercise delay periods?

When you start exercising regularly, you will be able to control your weight and improve your muscle strength. Sometimes, you may feel muscle pain, especially when you exercise after resting for a long time or working out for a long time. These aren’t the only changes your body will go through. It can also affect your menstrual cycle. Losing or gaining weight can cause a delay, meaning your period may not come when expected. Too much exercise can cause missed periods!

What is a missed period?

For most women, menstruation occurs every 28 days, but a normal cycle is between 21 and 35 days.

Missed menstruation is the absence of bleeding during a normal menstrual cycle. There are many reasons for a missed period, including pregnancy, hormonal imbalances, stress, weight changes, and aging. In addition to missing your period, you may also experience nausea, breast pain, fatigue, or mood swings, mostly if pregnancy is the potential cause.

How does exercise cause missed periods?

Regular exercise has many benefits, including shortening your menstrual cycle. But in general, too much exercise is the cause of a delayed period, according to the National Health Service in the United Kingdom.

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Endocrine Research found that half of women who exercised regularly had minor menstrual disorders, including a missed period. Another study published in the BMJ in 2007 found that 44% of participants who did vigorous exercises had missed menstrual cycles.

Exercise can cause missed periods through several mechanisms related to physical activity that affect the body’s hormonal and energy balance. Here’s how:

1. Energy deficit

Doing too much exercise to build strength increases energy. If calorie intake does not match energy supply, the body becomes weak. To conserve energy, the body may prioritize important activities and reduce important activities such as reproduction. This energy conservation reduces hormone production, affects menstrual cycles, and can delay menstrual periods.

2. Hormones

Experts say the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) axis regulates menstruation through hormonal signals. Heavy exercise disrupts the hormonal axis, causing the body to lower levels of estrogen and progesterone, which are important for regulating the menstrual cycle. Hormonal disruption can cause the body to become weak or delayed.

3. Leptin levels

Leptin is a hormone that plays a role in energy balance and appetite control. Intense exercise can lower leptin levels, which can affect a woman’s reproductive function. Low leptin levels indicate that the body is in a weak state, which can affect hormone production. Low leptin levels can cause the body to become less fertile due to lack of energy, leading to a missed period.

4. Changes in body fat and weight

Excessive exercise often causes loss of body fat. Body fat is important for estrogen production, and too little body fat can cause estrogen levels to drop. Lack of fat in the body can cause a lack of estrogen, which is necessary to protect the lining of the uterus, resulting in missed menstruation.

5. Stress

Physical activity increases levels of cortisol, a stress hormone. High cortisol levels can affect hormone production and menstrual irregularities. Chronic stress from excessive exercise can cause hormonal imbalances that affect menstruation.

6. Physical stress

Physical stress from intense exercise or prolonged exercise can affect overall health and hormonal balance. The body may respond to this stress by altering the menstrual cycle. This stress can lead to delayed menstruation or irregular cycles as the body adapts to the body’s demands.

Experts say activities such as marathons, athletic competitions or more intense workouts can cause menstrual irregularities. Exercising for more than a few hours per week may increase the risk of a missed period, especially if your calorie intake is not adequate.

What are some ways to prevent missed periods because of exercise?

To avoid wasting time due to exercise, consider these tips:

1. Moderate exercise

If you exercise for more than 4 to 5 hours a week, especially if your calorie intake is not sufficient or you are overweight, irregular periods will occur. So, strike a balance between your time usage and your time. Avoid too much exercise or too much weight.

2. Proper nutrition

Make sure you are consuming enough calories to meet your energy needs for daily exercise. Eat a healthy diet that includes adequate carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Also drink plenty of fluids to support overall health and hormonal balance.

3. Stress management

Stress can also affect your menstrual cycle, so take steps to reduce stress. You can do yoga, meditate, listen to music, or just relax.

Too much exercise can delay menstruation, so balance the intensity and duration of your exercise to avoid putting too much stress on your body. Make sure you are getting enough calories and eating enough food to meet the energy needs for daily exercise and to prevent menstrual delays.