Can exercise dramatically effect menstration and make it irregular?

Question

Most answers seem to say exercise could make u skip it or that u won't get it for a few months. Could it make it longer or make u get periods in between periods?

Answer 1

ask your gyn but i dont see why exercise would do that, may over excercising may but not every day stuff shouldn't make a difference, teehee

Answer 2

Extreme exercise, yes. Some women athletes suffer from irregular periods because of their harsh exercise regimen. Light exercise, like a 15 minute walk or a a half hour swim shouldn't. If you haven't been exercising at all, and have just started a new program, that could make a difference, the body reacts to any drastic changes in physical or emotional lifestyle. Dieting can also screw up your menstrual cycle.

Answer 3

The effect of exercise varies hugely from person to person, depending on their lifestyle, their age at menarche, their weight, where they grew up, and the kind of exercise they are doing.

That said, the answer to your question is yes for many people. However, so long as you are not trying to get pregnant, this is a good thing. The fewer periods/more irregular your period, more often the fewer hormones you have circulating in your body, which can reduce the risk of many reproductive cancers.

When your body responds to exercise, it also means your body is working well: it knows when you have enough energy to reproduce, and when you do not. Celebrate having such a smart body!

Answer 4

I'm not sure about exercise, but I do know that they estimate that over 2.5 million women have a condition called Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome and don't know it. This syndrome causes irregular periods as well as weight gain and difficulty losing weight in certain areas. If you carry weight in your stomach (pear shaped figure), have hair growth in unusual places such as stomach, chest, toes or chin and irregular periods ask your OBYN for a simple blood test. PCOS can also affect your fertility so it is best to know sooner rather than later. There are medications available that can help.

Answer 5

Yes- the changes that exercise makes in your body makeup (like fat and muscle percentages) as well as increased stress levels, (depending on the intensity of your exercise) can cause menstruation to be irregular.

Answer 6

Yes, vigorous exercise can affect estrogen levels, causing erratic periods or total cessation of menstual cycles. This is harmless, and returning to a lower level of activity will induce a normal cycle.

Answer 7

Yes! You can stop ovulating if you drop below 21% body fat and will therefore lose your period..... a little bit will make you feel better and be a little ligher, all those natural endorphins.... I would be careful though, you can really do some damage and make yourself unable to have kids.....

Answer 8

Excessive exercise can cause your periods to become irregular or even stop entirely, which is called amenorrhea.

Answer 9

If the exercise is to straining yes it could make it worse or come more often.

Answer 10

It's more about your percent of body fat. Low amounts of body fat can effect menstration, as your body "thinks" it is in starvation mode and only continues on with vital activites.