In which female athletes is amenorrhea most likely to occur?

It is not just the amount of exercise that influences the menstrual cycle, but certain types of exercise, specifically those associated with low body weight. Long distance running and ballet dancing are more likely than others to cause amenorrhea, for example.

What causes amenorrhea in female athletes?

Athletic amenorrhea is considered to be caused by an inhibition of the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis leading to estrogen deficiency due to caloric restriction (3, 4).

Do female athletes have amenorrhea?

Amenorrhea occurs in 3.4 to 66 percent of female athletes, compared with only 2 to 5 percent of women in the general population.

When does athletic amenorrhea occur?

Amenorrhea again can be due to exercising too much for your body, under-fueling, high stress, or a combination of these factors. Myth 2: Amenorrhea in athletes is unique to only endurance or high-level athletes. Amenorrhea can be seen in females from any sport and at any level from recreational to elite.

What is amenorrhea in female athletes triads?

The Female Athlete Triad is a term used to describe the relationship between three health problems: disordered eating, loss of your monthly period (amenorrhea)

Women's Wellness: Female athletes and their periods

What is the most common cause of amenorrhea?

Pregnancy is the most common cause of secondary amenorrhea, although problems with hormones also can cause secondary amenorrhea. Treatment of amenorrhea depends on the underlying cause.

What are the common causes of amenorrhea?

Who is at risk for amenorrhea?

Who is at risk of amenorrhea? Risk factors for amenorrhea include excessive exercise, obesity, eating disorders, a family history of amenorrhea or early menopause, and genetic changes.

How do female athletes stop their periods?

Another common practice among sportswomen is taking birth control pills. In one study, about half of athlete respondents revealed that they were using hormonal contraceptives. Doing so helped them control the frequency of their cycle, its timing, and the intensity of menstrual bleeding.

How does amenorrhea affect athletes?

Amenorrhea in combination with low energy availability and low bone density is labeled "the Female Athlete Triad." Studies have demonstrated numerous long-term consequences of athletes suffering from all or a portion of this triad, including increased rate of musculoskeletal injuries, stress fractures, abnormal lipid ...

Why do gymnasts not get periods?

Excessive exercise can suppress the luteinizing hormone, which is the hormone which triggers ovulation in women and is necessary for normal reproductive health and sexual development.

Do sports shorten your period?

Many things can cause a girl to stop getting her period — including exercising a lot and losing weight quickly, especially if she's not consuming enough calories and healthy foods. Two hours of exercise a day can add up to a lot of calories burned. You should take in more calories now than when you weren't as active.

Do Olympic gymnasts get their periods?

Some gymnasts may experience what's considered primary amenorrhea, meaning they have not started their period by 15 ½ years of age. This is usually due to inadequate energy availability for high level athletes.

How common is amenorrhea?

Some causes of amenorrhea are normal, including pregnancy, breastfeeding, and menopause. Amenorrhea also may be caused by medical conditions or medications. How common is amenorrhea? About 1 in 25 women who are not pregnant, breastfeeding, or going through menopause experience amenorrhea at some point in their lives.

Which hormone is responsible for amenorrhea?

Dopamine is produced by neurons in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus and tonically suppresses pituitary prolactin production. Any disruption of the stalk connecting the hypothalamus to the pituitary can prevent the flow of dopamine into the pituitary gland and result in hyperprolactinemia and amenorrhea.

How common is primary amenorrhea?

The incidence of primary amenorrhea is less than 1% in the United States.

What happens if a girl has amenorrhea?

Amenorrhea is when a girl's menstrual bleeding (period) doesn't occur. Primary amenorrhea is when the first menstrual bleeding at puberty doesn't occur by age 15. Secondary amenorrhea is when normal menstrual bleeding stops occurring for 3 months or more.

Does anorexia cause amenorrhea?

Amenorrhea and Anorexia

Many women with a history of anorexia nervosa experience amenorrhea. Typically, this is secondary amenorrhea, with an estimated 66-84% of women with anorexia nervosa experiencing amenorrhea and 77% of women with bulimia with a history of anorexia nervosa also experience it.

Why does PCOS cause amenorrhea?

Hormonal dysregulation in the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis, including elevated androgens and estrogens, hypersecretion of luteinizing hormone (LH), and reduced follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) synthesis, leads to menstrual irregularities and amenorrhea in women with PCOS.

Do elite female athletes get their period?

It is known that female athletes underreport menstrual cycle disorders, with a prevalence of up to 40% in some studies [4]. Miller et al. found that 22% of athletes in lean-build sports would not report amenorrhea [12].

Should gymnasts wear pads or tampons?

Tampons are a common choice for many dancers and gymnasts for a lot of the same reasons as the menstrual cup – they're invisible under your leotard. If you're comfortable with using tampons, this can be a good option.

What do figure skaters do when they have their period?

What do figure skaters do on their period? "It's really not that big of a deal. You just stick a tampon up there," she says, adding that exercising on the ice during her period tends to be therapeutic. "Periods can induce cramps for me, which I find exercise helps [alleviate]."

Can running cause amenorrhea?

Exercise Causes Release of “Stress Hormones”

Even among female athletes that train hard and eat plenty, amenorrhea is common. The biological explanation for this lies in the release of “stress hormones” that are part of the body's normal response to exercise.

Can running cause you to miss your period?

When you combine under-fuelling with the demands of a strenuous running program, it causes a deficit and drain in your body. If this goes on for extended periods of time with multiple training seasons without rest phases, it can result in a loss of your cycle due to hormonal imbalance and the stress response.

Can squats delay your period?

If you do not ovulate, the changes that trigger your menstruation will not happen and you will miss your period. Missing your periods as a result of strenuous exercise is called exercise-induced amenorrhea. An extreme form of exercise-induced amenorrhea is known as the female athlete triad.