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This is a great post/explanation about the cause of amenorrea (loss of menstration)

Body fat % is not the determinant of amenorrhea. That is why it’s possible for anorexics to still menstrate. Yes, there is a link, but the real barrier to normal ovulation and cycling is a hyperactive stressed system. This hyperactive system increases concentrations of epinephrine, norpepinephrine and cortisol which all work to supress estrogen and LH production starting in the higher central area of the body (i.e. the brain).

The stress can be a combination of psychological and physiological. You may be stressed from work, or stressed from working out too much, or stressed from not eating enough. Either way, your body’s ability to overcome the stress will dictate whether or not you have a period. A recent paper demonstrated that it was “stress-susceptability” that resulted or did not result in amenorrhea.

Stress-susceptability is related to the serotonergic system (i.e basal concentrations of serotonin). So, you can see that those women who are amorrheaic tend to be more likely to have some depression, to be harder on themselves than they should be, to have somewhat low self-esteem, to have problems sleeping and to not handle stressful events (any) very well.

Posted by: Cassandra E Forsythe MS

 

Have you experienced this, If so please share

That’s really interesting, I always thought it was the weight thing. I have known a bunch of gymnasts who had this problem and we always thought it was due to their low bodt fat %’s, but maybe it’s cause they trained so hard and so often. I’ll have to remember this, thanks for sharing!

This is a very interesting post!  This competitionseason is the first time I have ever stopped menstruating and I contributed itto the stress I put my body through. Last fall I competed/trained while taking 18credits, working a couplepart-time jobs, my 20yr old cousin passed away and my mom was diagnosed withLou Gehrig’s disease and still menstruating. Mentally I thought I was at my max whereas, this competition season my temperamentis much more pleasurable and I have less outside stresses.  I am however going from doing twocompetitions in June to two the end of July. I would definitely be interested in reading further research onthis!  The body is a fascinating thing…

That’s crazy Jenaliegh, that’s so much to go through at one time! ^_^

It’s really interesting how your body wouldn’t change with that kind of stress but the physical stress puts it over the top. I would love to see more research on this too…