ladies, is it okay to workout while you have your monthly th

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  • missikay1970
    missikay1970 Posts: 588 Member
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    i have heard of women/girls who work-out so much their cycles stop as you described. but having fewer periods in your life is actually healthier (less exposure to estrogen) so if it happens again, as long as you know you're not pregnant, don't worry about it at all.

    really? haha well i guess my amenorrhea had some benefits as well. haha. the only thing that concerned me when it happened is the fact that i wasn't releasing the wastes and toxins inside my body. and i'm also afraid of complications i would find out later and it would be too late to correct it.

    Talk to your dr if you have concern. Alot of women get on birth control pills and dont "skip" their week of pills when they should get their period. Instead they go right into a new pack and dont get their cycle, or get a very light one. Unless you have a really bad mediacl issue, there shouldnt be a reason to be concerned about things "building up." the only time you absolutely NEED your period is if you are trying to conceieve a child.
  • bahacca
    bahacca Posts: 878 Member
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    i have heard of women/girls who work-out so much their cycles stop as you described. but having fewer periods in your life is actually healthier (less exposure to estrogen) so if it happens again, as long as you know you're not pregnant, don't worry about it at all.

    really? haha well i guess my amenorrhea had some benefits as well. haha. the only thing that concerned me when it happened is the fact that i wasn't releasing the wastes and toxins inside my body. and i'm also afraid of complications i would find out later and it would be too late to correct it.
    Your uterine lining is built up each month and that is what is shed during your period. NOT "waste and toxins". If you had amenorrhea due to poor nutrition/too much exercise, the cause of no period was probably that your body never even triggered ovulation or the buildup of the tissue as your body knew it would not be able to support a pregnancy. It didn't just build up the inside of the lining and leave it there;-)
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
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    If I feel like a bum, I try to get out for a walk, either in my neighborhood or on the treadmill for at least an hour. Even if I'm moving really slow, it's better than not moving at all. And it does seem to help with cramps/backache.
  • CMmrsfloyd
    CMmrsfloyd Posts: 2,383 Member
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    I still workout when mine comes around, it seems to help a lot with the cramps and my energy level. Plus OMG I have to earn some extra calories for the occasional craving. LOL
  • marycmeadows
    marycmeadows Posts: 1,691 Member
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    i always work out when I have my period -- rough intense work outs -- my period doesn't stop me from doing anything. Take some advil and push on through it. Exercise helps with cramps too.
  • LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo
    LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo Posts: 3,634 Member
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    I still do my usual workout routine & even lift heavy weights during the first day of my period. Actually exercise is a great help in getting rid of menstrual cramps & getting the right flow from your body. I don't have amennorhea but I also having problems getting regular periods because of weaker female hormones (weak estrogen & absence of progesterone) & stronger testosterone resulting to hormonal imbalance. But the problems has nothing to do with working out.
  • sonyachan
    sonyachan Posts: 518 Member
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    i have heard of women/girls who work-out so much their cycles stop as you described. but having fewer periods in your life is actually healthier (less exposure to estrogen) so if it happens again, as long as you know you're not pregnant, don't worry about it at all.

    This is not true. If you are working out to the extent that you have no periods, you're most likely overdoing it. Unless you're training for a marathon, you should not miss periods. Missing periods, especially 5 in a row, is definitely cause for concern. I would not want any of my patients thinking that missing periods because they working out so hard was a good thing.
  • kammy92
    kammy92 Posts: 408 Member
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    I actually feel better when I exercise! The cramps are lessened!
  • Generalle
    Generalle Posts: 201 Member
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    i have heard of women/girls who work-out so much their cycles stop as you described. but having fewer periods in your life is actually healthier (less exposure to estrogen) so if it happens again, as long as you know you're not pregnant, don't worry about it at all.

    This is not true. If you are working out to the extent that you have no periods, you're most likely overdoing it. Unless you're training for a marathon, you should not miss periods. Missing periods, especially 5 in a row, is definitely cause for concern. I would not want any of my patients thinking that missing periods because they working out so hard was a good thing.

    Are you a doctor? This is something that I've been thinking about a lot lately as the last time I got to 20% body fat my periods stopped for 3 months (I was still eating healthy, just have a body that builds muscle easy. At 20% body fat I still weighed 72kilos), and it scared the crap out of me. To me, if my period stops for reasons other than pregnancy, it doesn't seem natural or that healthy hormonally. I'm not there yet, but I really want to get my body fat % down, but feel like it might be a trade-off? Should I talk to my doctor about it? I don't think my trainer is fully qualified to offer advice on this. Not to mention he's a young male.....
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
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    I have had awful periods for 25+ years, very heavy bleeding, intense cramps and back cramps, swelling so much that it affected my breathing, sometimes lasting 10+ days, etc. I akways heard that moderate exercise or yoga would help, but they never did. since taking up running - and running hard through my periods - they have become normal! No cramps or only very light cramps easily ignored or banished by one ibuprofen, only light bleeding, no more doubling up super plus tampons with maxipads - and only last four days. Wow. If only someone had told me this twenty years ago.

    Pam
  • sonyachan
    sonyachan Posts: 518 Member
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    [/quote]

    Are you a doctor? This is something that I've been thinking about a lot lately as the last time I got to 20% body fat my periods stopped for 3 months (I was still eating healthy, just have a body that builds muscle easy. At 20% body fat I still weighed 72kilos), and it scared the crap out of me. To me, if my period stops for reasons other than pregnancy, it doesn't seem natural or that healthy hormonally. I'm not there yet, but I really want to get my body fat % down, but feel like it might be a trade-off? Should I talk to my doctor about it? I don't think my trainer is fully qualified to offer advice on this. Not to mention he's a young male.....
    [/quote]

    I'm a nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife, so I do a lot of gynecology. I would talk to your doctor. If you shut down your cycles by malnutrition, that's one thing. If you are eating plenty of calories and purposely getting down to a very low body fat percentage, then you are actually turning off your ovaries. This is not in itself harmful. If you are doing it for a limited amount of time, then I would tell you not to worry about not having a period. But definitely talk to your doctor about it.
  • Generalle
    Generalle Posts: 201 Member
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    Are you a doctor? This is something that I've been thinking about a lot lately as the last time I got to 20% body fat my periods stopped for 3 months (I was still eating healthy, just have a body that builds muscle easy. At 20% body fat I still weighed 72kilos), and it scared the crap out of me. To me, if my period stops for reasons other than pregnancy, it doesn't seem natural or that healthy hormonally. I'm not there yet, but I really want to get my body fat % down, but feel like it might be a trade-off? Should I talk to my doctor about it? I don't think my trainer is fully qualified to offer advice on this. Not to mention he's a young male.....
    [/quote]

    I'm a nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife, so I do a lot of gynecology. I would talk to your doctor. If you shut down your cycles by malnutrition, that's one thing. If you are eating plenty of calories and purposely getting down to a very low body fat percentage, then you are actually turning off your ovaries. This is not in itself harmful. If you are doing it for a limited amount of time, then I would tell you not to worry about not having a period. But definitely talk to your doctor about it.
    [/quote]

    thanks! It's definitely not from malnutrition I can assure you!!! lol and shutting down my ovaries isn't such a big deal either, but still a concern. Will see how I go and talk to my doctor if it happens again.
  • SAC0O3
    SAC0O3 Posts: 95
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    I say work out if you can. I have not had my period yet since my son, but I used to throw up the first few days of my period it hurt so bad. I don't think I could possibly work out the first few days I am cramping. That is just me though. When there are no longer and cramps and I just bleed then heck yes, I will be working out!
  • JenGrape
    JenGrape Posts: 32 Member
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    I have found the week before my TOM is worse than during my TOM. My heartrate and temperature is much higher the week prior to it and I can't push as hard. I can always tell when TOM is getting close because my normal workouts are more difficult.... as in that last 15 minutes of my 60 minutes of my elliptical workout is MUCH more of a struggle to endure through it. I just push through it knowing what the issue is.... usually I still get a loss that week as well. :) (when in the past I'd be up from bloating up to 5lbs!)
  • zoom2
    zoom2 Posts: 934 Member
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    but having fewer periods in your life is actually healthier (less exposure to estrogen) so if it happens again, as long as you know you're not pregnant, don't worry about it at all.

    This is only somewhat true. If a person stops having periods because they are underweight, then...no, it's not healthier. As long as your calorie intake supports your activity, I don't see why exercising on any day of your cycle would be less desirable than any other day. For a lot of us exercise can help ease cramps (at least once we're able to drag ourselves away from the heating pad).
  • zoom2
    zoom2 Posts: 934 Member
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    This is not true. If you are working out to the extent that you have no periods, you're most likely overdoing it. Unless you're training for a marathon, you should not miss periods. Missing periods, especially 5 in a row, is definitely cause for concern. I would not want any of my patients thinking that missing periods because they working out so hard was a good thing.

    Even the average marathoner should not be missing periods. Elites, perhaps, but for 99% of the women toeing the line periods shouldn't really be affected. I don't know any women who have stopped having periods while marathon training, with the exception of a HS classmate who has qualified for the US Olympic marathon trials for the last 2 Summer games.
  • thinnerisstronger
    thinnerisstronger Posts: 124 Member
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    Just go light. As long as you're eating enough, your monthly buddy should stick around. And plus, working out helps with cramps!
  • Kimsied
    Kimsied Posts: 232
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    i have heard of women/girls who work-out so much their cycles stop as you described. but having fewer periods in your life is actually healthier (less exposure to estrogen) so if it happens again, as long as you know you're not pregnant, don't worry about it at all.

    This is not true. If you are working out to the extent that you have no periods, you're most likely overdoing it. Unless you're training for a marathon, you should not miss periods. Missing periods, especially 5 in a row, is definitely cause for concern. I would not want any of my patients thinking that missing periods because they working out so hard was a good thing.

    I suppose that is something to ask a doctor about. It is probably okay if the cause of no periods is birth control as it is with some methods. I am not sure if it is good if it is from a too much exercise/too little body fat or poor nutrition (as sometimes is the case). I am not sure the problem is lack of periods, but my understanding is the lack of period is caused by stress to the body which is not good. There is an ongoing issue with some women linking lack of periods, bone density issues and eating disorders. So for someone moving in that direction, it is probably best to moderate enough for the period to return. I stopped having them for about five months in my late teens and had to take a course of hormones to restart them. Of course, we can't give medical advice on a forum and I am not qualified to anyway. Just saying... Here is one article on the subject, it mentions the bone density thing as an issue: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1143

    Congrats to the OP though! And I still agree exercise during TOM is healthy and beneficial!
  • BeautyFromPain
    BeautyFromPain Posts: 4,952 Member
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    Light exercise helps with cramps.
  • josavage
    josavage Posts: 472 Member
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    It has never occurred to me to not work out because of my period. Exercise definitely helps with my cramps. I'm older than you and I'm done having kids so this is different but I was thrilled when my period disappeared during marathon training. It came back about a month after the race but it was wonderful being period free for the summer!

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