When you stop having monthly periods, it is known as amenorrhea. Here are 5 Things You Need to Know About Exercise-Induced Amenorrhea facts involving the condition…:
Exercise causes amenorrhea when the body goes into a “starvation state”
When women stop menstruating (“amenorrhea”) due to excessive physical exercise, there is a problem. It’s not just the amount of exercise that affects the menstrual cycle, but also certain types of exercise, especially those associated with low body weight. For example, long-distance running and ballet dancing are more likely to cause amenorrhea than others.
The combination of low body weight and intense exercise causes amenorrhea when the body thinks it is in a “starving” state. If energy expenditure during exercise is not balanced by adequate food intake, the body begins to shut down organ systems that are not strictly necessary for survival. This includes the reproductive system. When a woman’s body thinks it’s in a “starvation state,” it makes sense that it also feels like it’s not the right time to carry a pregnancy to term.
Exercise Causes Release
of “Stress Hormones”
Even among athletes who train hard and eat a lot, amenorrhea is common. The biological explanation for this lies in the release of “stress hormones” which are part of the body’s normal response to exercise.
These “stress hormones” are similar to the hormones released during “fight or flight” situations and also make people feel so good after exercise (post-exercise euphoria). Unfortunately, these “stress hormones” interfere with the brain’s production of the reproductive hormones needed to keep the menstrual cycle going.
Exercise-Induced Amenorrhea Has
Long-Term Health Consequences
Most women don’t care if their periods stop. And indeed, menstruation can be a major inconvenience, especially for competitive athletes. But many women are unaware of the serious long-term health consequences of exercise-induced amenorrhea.
Due to impaired production of reproductive hormones, women with exercise-induced amenorrhea are estrogen deficient. Estrogen is one of the most important female hormones, and when too little, health risks include infertility, vaginal and breast atrophy, and osteoporosis (which can lead to fractures of the spine, hip, and other areas). ). Prolonged exercise-induced amenorrhea can also increase the risk of heart attacks later in life.
Exercise-Induced Amenorrhea is a Diagnosis of Exclusion
Before starting treatment, women with exercise-induced amenorrhea should be evaluated by their doctor for other possible causes of irregular or missed periods. These include pregnancy, thyroid dysfunction, prolactinoma (benign tumors of the pituitary gland), and premature menopause. Because exercise-induced amenorrhea is considered a diagnosis of exclusion, stress cannot be assumed to be to blame until all other possible causes are ruled out.
Treatment Restores Estrogen to the Body
Once the diagnosis is confirmed, the main goal of treatment is to restore estrogen levels to the normal range. In many women, this can be achieved by increasing the calorie intake so that the body leaves the state of “hunger”. In women who are reluctant to increase calories, estrogen can be given in the form of a birth control pill or patch.
It can also be given as hormone replacement therapy, similar to that of postmenopausal women. Such treatments will protect a woman’s bones from fractures due to osteoporosis, but they will not treat her infertility. Infertility due to exercise-induced amenorrhea can be treated with fertility drugs, but if a woman is underweight, it is best to optimize body weight by improving nutritional intake before trying to conceive.
“Good health and good sense are two of life’s greatest blessings.”
Publilius Syrus
You can also see: How to start exercising in just few steps?!
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