Regular exercise may alleviate pain and other negative symptoms before and during menstruation.[1][2][3] Regular exercise can also shorten the length of menses.[4]
Conversely, too much exercise can be detrimental to menstrual cycle health, causing menstrual irregularities or even the total absence of menstruation.[5][6] This is not a normal response to exercise and should be evaluated by a clinician. It may be a sign of relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S), a condition indicating that the body does not have enough energy to meet its demands.[7] The consequences of RED-S are far-reaching, serious, and potentially irreparable.[8][9]
References
- ^McKenna KA, Fogleman CDDysmenorrhea.Am Fam Physician.(2021-Aug-01)
- ^Ravichandran H, Janakiraman BEffect of Aerobic Exercises in Improving Premenstrual Symptoms Among Healthy Women: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.Int J Womens Health.(2022)
- ^Armour M, Ee CC, Naidoo D, Ayati Z, Chalmers KJ, Steel KA, de Manincor MJ, Delshad EExercise for dysmenorrhoeaCochrane Database Syst Rev.(2019 Sep 20)
- ^Witkoś J, Hartman-Petrycka MThe Female Athlete Triad-the impact of running and type of diet on the regularity of the menstrual cycle assessed for recreational runners.PeerJ.(2022)
- ^Joanna Witkoś, Grzegorz Błażejewski, Magdalena Hagner-Derengowska, Kamila MakulecThe Impact of Competitive Swimming on Menstrual Cycle Disorders and Subsequent Sports Injuries as Related to the Female Athlete Triad and on Premenstrual Syndrome SymptomsInt J Environ Res Public Health.(2022 Nov 28)
- ^Cesar A Hincapié, J David CassidyDisordered eating, menstrual disturbances, and low bone mineral density in dancers: a systematic reviewArch Phys Med Rehabil.(2010 Nov)
- ^Huhmann KMenses Requires Energy: A Review of How Disordered Eating, Excessive Exercise, and High Stress Lead to Menstrual Irregularities.Clin Ther.(2020-Mar)
- ^Dipla K, Kraemer RR, Constantini NW, Hackney ACRelative energy deficiency in sports (RED-S): elucidation of endocrine changes affecting the health of males and females.Hormones (Athens).(2021-Mar)
- ^Coelho AR, Cardoso G, Brito ME, Gomes IN, Cascais MJThe Female Athlete Triad/Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S).Rev Bras Ginecol Obstet.(2021-May)