Can excessive exercise cause menstrual irregularities?

Women's menstrual health status will directly reflect their physical health problems. Sometimes in life, some women will find that they have irregular menstruation. Sometimes, in addition to some physiological problems, some people may also suffer from adverse effects if they exercise excessively, so it is important to pay attention to these common sense.

After women participate in long-term, excessive physical exercise or relatively intense competitions, they may experience delayed menarche, menstrual disorders, or even amenorrhea, which is called sports-induced amenorrhea. The incidence of amenorrhea in ballet dancers, swimmers, etc. can reach 60%~80%, and the incidence of amenorrhea in long-distance runners can be as high as 90%.

Exercise-induced amenorrhea is a type of hypothalamic amenorrhea, which is the body's response to strong external stimulation. Vigorous exercise is a strong form of stress. Under stress, the body produces corticotropin-releasing hormone, which activates the sympathetic nervous system and stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete stress hormones. Corticotropin-releasing hormone inhibits the secretion of gonadotropin-releasing hormone in the hypothalamus, leading to a decrease in gonadotropin secretion and causing amenorrhea.

In fact, exercise-induced amenorrhea is not only related to excessive exercise, but also to the body fat content. Nowadays, many girls lose weight blindly, and the thinner they are, the less they feel thinner. Exercise-induced amenorrhea may occur due to weight loss, reduced body fat, and insufficient protein in the diet. Generally speaking, amenorrhea will occur when the body weight is lost by 10% to 15% and the body fat content is lost by 30%.

So, how much exercise can cause amenorrhea? This question cannot be generalized and is related to the individual's basic conditions. When the amount of exercise decreases, the body's stress gradually decreases or disappears, and the menstrual cycle can gradually recover. Therefore, there is no need for treatment if there are no discomfort symptoms. Once discomfort symptoms appear, and the tension has long been relieved and menstruation has not come, active treatment should be sought.

In fact, excessive exercise can also cause some impacts and harm to women's reproductive health problems. Therefore, female friends are reminded to pay attention to the amount of exercise when exercising. Only by paying attention to the right amount of exercise can it be beneficial to our health and effectively avoid some adverse effects.