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Can Exercise Affect Your Menstrual Cycle?

Exercise is the closest thing to a magical pill since it keeps you healthy in so many ways. Aside from helping you drop pounds and look sensational sporting your bikini, it keeps your heart healthy, improves your mood and energy levels, keeps sickness at bay, can prevent injuries or alleviate chronic pain, and can even help you have a better night's sleep.


Exercise can also have a negative effect on your period. If you're exercising excessively or obsessively, and have a lower percentage of body weight than is normal for your height (possibly from anorexia), your body could go into rescue mode. Working out takes a ton of energy, so in order for your body to keep up, it will begin to shut down unnecessary functions to use what little energy it has to keep your basic life functions going. Since menstruation is not vital to your (its purpose is to reproduce) your body will turn off the function to save energy. The good news is that usually when you begin cutting down on the exercise, and your body gets the nutrition and calories it needs, your periods should come back. Likewise, if your body fat percentage is much higher than the normal level for your height, periods can also stop.


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