What is the cause of excessive menstruation due to exercise?

The importance of menstruation to every woman is self-evident. For women who are not amenorrhea, as long as they have normal menstruation every month, it means that their body is healthy. If menstruation comes early or delayed, it means that the woman's endocrine system is out of balance. So what is the cause of menstruation due to excessive exercise? The main reason for absent menstruation or excessive menstrual flow is due to excessive exercise. Let’s take a look.

There is no doubt that moderate exercise can enhance women's physical health and make them more energetic. However, if the exercise program is not selected properly, or the amount of exercise is too much, it may cause menstrual abnormalities when overloaded, which should be taken seriously. A large amount of analysis and observation has shown that during the rigorous and serious training process of athletes, many people's menstruation will become irregular, and some will even stop completely. For example, the proportion of irregular menstruation in long-distance and short-distance runners is about 20%, and in ballet practitioners it can be as high as 50% to 75%. Especially for adolescent girls, when they exercise in large amounts, the proportion of those with menstrual abnormalities is higher, and they often experience delayed menarche, irregular periods, secondary amenorrhea, etc. And the more exercise you do, the later the age of menarche. For example, among the female athletes aged 17 to 23 in a sports school, 67% had amenorrhea, while among the women who did not participate in sports in the school, only 13% had amenorrhea. Although the reasons are not yet fully understood, the following factors are worth noting.

1 Exercise, like weight loss, will lead to a reduction in body fat. Women need a minimum amount of fat to maintain menstruation. If your body weight is 10% to 15% lower than the normal weight, or the proportion of body fat is too low, less than 17% of body weight, the body lacks fat to produce the raw materials for estrogen, which affects the normal level of estrogen and interferes with the formation and cycle of normal menstruation. When fat mass is too low, it can also cause the body to convert normal estrogen into another inactive estrogen. This inactive estrogen cannot transmit messages to the brain, so menstruation function stops. Rigorous exercise training not only leads to weight loss, but also puts a lot of stress on the body. Some scholars believe that when the body is under stress, it shuts down menstruation to avoid pregnancy in a fearful or chaotic environment.

2 Exercise increases the level of endorphins in the brain, a type of sedative produced naturally in the body. At the same time, it can make people feel euphoric. Interestingly, endorphins have a more potent euphoric effect on the brain than pure morphine. This may be why people feel relaxed and happy after intense exercise, including the "high" that Ms. Bai experienced after running. However, high concentrations of endorphins can affect the normal hormone function of the brain and the menstrual cycle. These factors may cause a decrease in estrogen, cessation of ovulation and cessation of menstruation.

3 Generally, there is no danger in not having menstruation. However, if estrogen levels are too low for more than 6 months, it may cause calcium loss in the bones, leading to osteoporosis. If this continues for a long time, fractures, scoliosis, etc. may occur, and even women with originally healthy constitutions may not be spared. Among the female athletes in a certain sports school, one-third had suffered fractures, while among non-athletes, only 6% had done so.

4 For most women, once factors such as excessive exercise, weight loss or stress stop, menstruation will gradually return to normal after a few months. If detected and corrected early, osteoporosis may be saved once menstruation returns to normal. If menstruation has not returned to normal after a considerable period of time, cyclical therapy can be carried out under the guidance of a doctor, which can achieve good results. In addition, traditional Chinese medicine also has unique therapeutic effects on menstrual disorders. Fortunately, once normal menstrual cycles resume, these women's chances of pregnancy are hardly affected at all.

The above introduces how excessive exercise can cause menstruation. Although exercise is essential, we must pay attention to the issue of moderation. The daily time should not be too long or too short, otherwise it will be bad for our body. Of course, during menstruation, we should also pay attention to diet, avoid eating spicy, sour and cold foods, and try to exercise less.