There are some obvious causes of disruption to your menstrual cycle.
Medication, stress and diet are commonly known factors that affect the regularity of your period but there is one lesser known reason that affects many.
Over exercising can result in a phenomenon known as exercise-associated amenorrhea. This condition occurs when a woman’s body goes into “starvation state.” This happens because the amount of energy expended during exercise is not balanced by adequate nutritional intake.
According to USC Fertility, it is not just the amount of exercise that influences the menstrual cycle, but certain types of exercise, specifically those associated with low body weight. Long distance running and ballet dancing are more likely than others to cause amenorrhea, for example.
Hormones released during exercise also play a part. “Stress hormones” are the body’s natural reaction to exercise and while they can be great and contribute to post workout euphoria, they can also interfere with the brains production of hormones necessary to keep the menstrual cycle flowing.
Exercise-associated amenorrhea can have long term health defects. Because of the altered production of reproductive hormones, women with exercise-induced amenorrhea are estrogen-deficient. Estrogen is one of the most important female hormones, and when there is too little of it, the health risks include infertility, atrophy of the vagina and breast, and osteoporosis.
A short term solution is to increase caloric intake so that the body exits “starvation state.” In other cases estrogen can be given in the form of birth control pills or patch. It can also be given as hormone replacement therapy, similar to that used by postmenopausal women.
