why exercise affects menstrual cycle and amount of monthly blood loss ?

[fresh]

i found the more regular and moderate exercise a girl has, the shorter the period days(the longer the menstrual cycle) and the less amount of blood loss she has. vice verse.

why ? is it not good ?

can women ignore it and continue their regular & moderate exercise ?

the moderate exercise is brisk walking for 50minutes everyday, which is considered low intensity and very good for health.

 

 

 

Edited February 6, 2013 by fresh

[Phi for All]

This works well to a point, but extreme exercising can cause the body to shut down non-priority processes to keep up with your energy needs. Reproduction isn't as important as survival, and exercise is viewed by the body as a fight or flight response.

 

It sounds like you've discovered the optimal exercise schedule that keeps you fit and keeps your cycle consistent but short.

[fresh]

This works well to a point, but extreme exercising can cause the body to shut down non-priority processes to keep up with your energy needs. Reproduction isn't as important as survival, and exercise is viewed by the body as a fight or flight response.

 

It sounds like you've discovered the optimal exercise schedule that keeps you fit and keeps your cycle consistent but short.

 

No, i didnt realize it can shorten the period days (prolong the menstrual cycle) and lower the amount of bleeding. how about the athletes ? female swimmers/divers still swim during their period..... do they take any medicine to postpone their period when they go for competition ? i think it is bad to take medicine to disturb the menstrual cycle.

 

 

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[Phi for All]

Excessive exercise can stop the cycle entirely. Many female athletes don't get a period at all. Some appreciate the lower estrogen levels because estrogen can cause some weight gain, but estrogen also helps women maintain bone density so there are some very bad consequences.

 

I don't know if there are any drugs that postpone the cycle so women can compete, and I wonder if they'd be sanctioned by the authorities who govern those competitions. Like you, I think its not a good idea to disturb the body's cycles in most cases.

[fresh]

"because estrogen can cause some weight gain" -- but i see women who undergo menopause gain weight a lot.

besides that it seems the later the menopause starts the younger&healthier the women look like, but unfortunately doctors say the later menopause is not good too. (exception to an indian woman who gave birth at age of 60.)

a girl i know got her period at age of 10. i believe the age of first period matters.

in a word, it is unlucky to be a girl. guys dont have any trouble of it.

Edited February 7, 2013 by fresh

[Phi for All]

"because estrogen can cause some weight gain" -- but i see women who undergo menopause gain weight a lot.

besides that it seems the later the menopause starts the younger&healthier the women look like, but unfortunately doctors say the later menopause is not good too. (exception to an indian woman who gave birth at age of 60.)

a girl i know got her period at age of 10. i believe the age of first period matters.

in a word, it is unlucky to be a girl. guys dont have any trouble of it.

 

Menopause has its own problems. Weight gain during menopause may be more affected by psychological factors than by physiological ones.

 

Women athletes have it particularly rough because estrogen can also make certain ligaments looser, resulting in more injuries.

 

I've never read anything about how the onset age of either puberty or menopause affects a woman's looks. Do you have a link to any studies or articles about the benefits of later menopause or menstruation?

[fresh]

http://www.livestrong.com/article/161068-dangers-of-late-menopause/

 

just googled an article about Dangers Of Late Menopause.

[zapatos]

No, i didnt realize it can shorten the period days (prolong the menstrual cycle) and lower the amount of bleeding. how about the athletes ? female swimmers/divers still swim during their period..... do they take any medicine to postpone their period when they go for competition ? i think it is bad to take medicine to disturb the menstrual cycle.

AFAIK there is no harm in disturbing your menstrual cycle. It is commonly done with some forms of birth control. As far as delaying their period:

It's possible to prevent your period with continuous use of any birth

control pill. This means skipping the placebo pills and starting right

away on a new pack. Continuous use of your birth control pills works

best if you're taking a monophasic pill with the same hormone dose in

the three weeks of active pills

 

You may find continuous use of birth control pills a convenient way to avoid having your period during an important occasion or trip. Taking a monthly regimen birth control pill continuously is fine, but with continuous use of the pill you may develop breakthrough bleeding and then you should take the placebo pills so that you'll have a menstrual cycle.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/birth-control-pill/WO00098

[Phi for All]

http://www.livestrong.com/article/161068-dangers-of-late-menopause/

 

just googled an article about Dangers Of Late Menopause.

 

Most of that article is aimed at internal effects and the length of estrogen exposure. Does breast tissue density have an impact on how a woman looks? AFAIK, density is determined by a mammogram but has no external indicators.

 

I was wondering what made you say, "it seems the later the menopause starts the younger&healthier the women look like". Is this anecdotal or do you have anything else to support it?

[fresh]

yes, that is anecdote without any supportive evidence.

do women with enough estrogen look younger??

 

as what zapatos quoted, it may be a convenient way to avoid having your period during an important occasion or trip, but as i know the risk overweights the benefit in long run.

again, " then you should take the placebo pills so that you'll have a menstrual cycle." ? taking placebo pills to bring back the normal menstrual cycle ?? you are not kidding me....what are they made of ? sugar, they are not real birth control pills, are they?

[Phi for All]

again, " then you should take the placebo pills so that you'll have a menstrual cycle." ? taking placebo pills to bring back the normal menstrual cycle ?? you are not kidding me....what are they made of ? sugar, they are not real birth control pills, are they?

 

AFAIK, every pack of birth control pills has three weeks worth of hormone pills and a week's worth of placebos. The sugar pills are to be taken after ovulation has been prevented, when the extra hormones would be unnecessary. Taking the placebos keeps you in the habit of taking the pills every day.

[zapatos]

as what zapatos quoted, it may be a convenient way to avoid having your period during an important occasion or trip, but as i know the risk overweights the benefit in long run.

You may want to take a look at the article this came from...

...oral contraceptives (OCs) also afford women the ability to control when and if they have a period.

 

When birth control pills were first introduced, they were marketed to be sold as 21 days of hormone pills and 7 days of placebo pills (21/7) to minimize the perception that these pills change the menstrual cycle. According to Dr. Steven Goldstein, professor of OB-GYN at New York University School of Medicine, scientists who invented birth control pills back in the 50s thought that women would be more likely to take them if they included a period week.

 

The original developers of OCs decided upon the 21/7 regimen for other reasons as well. This cycle length was also determined because it most closely mimics the natural menstrual cycle; this way, people would not get the false impression that birth control pills interfere with ones normal period. Additionally, this regime (of a normal cycle) was chosen to ward off potential concerns of women, doctors, and varying religious views.

 

The pill developers felt that having a monthly period would help to reassure women that they were not pregnant. When put into this historical context, one can see how the 21/7 regimen is more a reflection of the time in which the pill was developed rather than based on a scientifically established medical need.

 

Many dont realize that the period one has on OCs is not a REAL period; its actually withdrawal bleeding. Withdrawal bleeding is NOT necessary to maintain gynecologic health.

 

Some women falsely believe that without a period, blood or other toxins may begin to build up. Although some claim that it's unnatural or harmful to manipulate a womans monthly cycle by completely stopping her period, in reality, women are already controlling their menstrual cycles just by using birth control pills. Given that few women naturally have a 28-day menstrual cycle, pill use automatically directs a womans cycle to be 28 days.

 

The "period" that occurs during 21 or 28-day combination birth control packs has no medical function other than reassuring a woman that she is not pregnant. In women who do not desire to or can't become pregnant, there is no physiological requirement for an actual menstrual period or for a monthly withdrawal bleed (that occurs with hormonal contraceptives). Doctors have long-realized that OCs can be used to prevent a period or to produce a desired cycle length. For decades, doctors have been advising women on how to properly use 21/28-day regimen birth control pills to manipulate monthly cycles and to skip periods.

 

There is no medical evidence that women need monthly withdrawal bleeding or menstrual periods; there are also no health problems associated with skipping or eliminating monthly bleeding.

http://contraception.about.com/od/prescriptionoptions/p/MissingPeriods.htm

[fresh]

thanks for your efforts for this thread.

have a look at this :

quote:(Birth Control Pill: Oral Contraceptive Use May Be Safe, But Information Gaps Remain)

'Any woman considering the use of contraceptives should be evaluated for cholesterol levels, blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, kidney problems, obesity and other vascular diseases, including migraines. Healthy, nonsmoking women who are 35 or older can continue taking a low dose oral contraceptive until 50 to 55 years after reviewing the risks and benefits.'

 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090114092848.htm

 

by the way, why is it the women who take OCs ? not men ?

let's invent a medicine for men ! give women a break.

 

Edited February 8, 2013 by fresh