Women: Competing and Their Menstrual Cycle by Tanya Pennington

One of the potential side effects of competing for many women is the loss of their menstrual cycle during their competition training. The name for it is athletic amenorrhea. Athletic amenorrhea happens to women who perform considerable amounts of exercise on a regular basis and usually lasts for about three months. The reason for this happening is because low body fat levels and exercise related chemicals disrupt the interplay of sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone. I believe it is important for women to know about this is so they can take action that may help prevent the long-term effects that can occur.
The lack of estrogen can lead to a lack of calcium in the bones, which can lead to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is one of the most important side effects to take note of for athletes. Because of the reduced estrogen levels in the body during the absence of the menstrual cycle, the bones, over a period of time, become brittle and we are at high risk for stress fractures.
Premature aging is another long-term effect. The reason for this is also because of the reduced estrogen levels, the skin easily loses its elasticity without enough estrogen being produced. While infertility is also one of the side effects, it is only temporary while she is amenorrheic. Once her menstrual cycle returns, she is fine, this has no effect of long-term fertility.
It is said that the only way to stop the amenorrhea is to reduce the intensity of your workouts and to let your body fat increase a bit. As a competitor, I know I look at this and say “yeah right”! We are constantly working so hard to bring in our optimum physique, so I did my research. With all of my research on this topic, I feel that most important thing for us to do is to make sure we are taking in an adequate amount of calcium to help prevent the onset of osteoporosis. A calcium supplement is usually the easiest way since we usually can’t get the required amount necessary through our strict diets.
Also, to help prevent premature aging, it is important to stay within a healthy range of our competition weight. By constantly gaining and losing too much weight, our skin is already under enough stress trying to maintain its elasticity. With the added stress of athletic amenorrhea, the skin is very likely to become loose.
The fact that many of us do anywhere from one to four shows a year allows our bodies to return to a “normal” level in the off-season. During the off-season, our body fat should return to a healthy level so that we begin to menstruate again. However, don't forget to pay attention to your calcium intake during your off-season. With all of this said, if you are a person who experiences amenorrhea, you should take a visit to the doctor to make sure what you're experiencing is in fact athletic amenorrhea. Good luck to all who compete, and remember, believe and you will!

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