Is it Safe to Exercise on a Woman's Monthly Period

One of the most common questions I get from women is if they can exercise during their menstrual period. It's not surprising that they should constantly ask this, considering the many myths and misconceptions surrounding menstruation.

In some ancient cultures, a menstruating woman was considered "unclean," and was not allowed to touch certain things, temporarily separated from the rest of the tribe, and had to undergo ceremonial cleansing before she could return.

Many of these practices had to do with taboos associated with blood and, who knows, maybe women in ancient times actually perpetuated the mysteries surrounding menstruation so they could get some R & R for a few days a month from their gruelling and tedious daily routines.

In the last couple of decades, more women have become involved in exercise and sports. This has allowed scientists to make logical observations about the effects of working out during menstruation.

According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, for the majority of women, there is no reason why menstruation should interfere with their daily activities, including exercise. In fact, regular exercise is recommended as one of the ways to alleviate the pain and discomfort that some women experience before and during menstruation.

How Exercise Can Ease Dysmenorrhea
Dysmenorrhea is a term that not too many men are familiar with, but most women know that this medical term means menstrual pain and cramping, because they experience it to some degree every month.

Dysmenorrhea is thought to be caused by prostaglandins, a natural chemical that stimulates the uterus to contract to expel blood. Prostaglandins make blood vessels constrict, slowing down blood flow to the uterus. Insufficient blood flow can cause pain in the same way that not enough blood to the heart causes chest pain.

Exercise is thought to ease dysmenorrhea for two reasons. One, aerobic exercise releases endorphins, natural painkillers produced by the body, which can help dull menstrual pain. Two, exercise may alter prostaglandin production.

Exercise can also help even out mood swings, anxiety and depression that occur in some women. It can aid in reducing bloating because sweating releases body water.

There have been several studies associating a higher risk of injury for female athletes with specific times of the menstrual cycle. However, there is no definite proof because the studies are conflicting.

For example, a 1989 Swedish study found that female soccer players incurred more injuries during the pre-menstrual and menstrual period while a 1998 US study found that ligament injuries were more frequent during the ovulatory (middle part of the cycle) phase.

In another example of contradictory results, this time with regard to performance, one study found that swimmers performed at their poorest just before menstruation and swam fastest during their period, while another study found that cross-country skiers did their best just after menstruation and during ovulation.

Until more research confirms the theory that injury rates and performance are affected by the different phases of the menstrual cycle, it would be better for coaches to focus on finding what works best for the individual athlete since women have widely varying physical responses to training or competing in the days prior to and during menstruation.

It's also good for coaches and athletes alike to keep in mind that Olympic medals have been won during all phases of a woman's monthly cycle.

More Glycogen May be Stored
There has been some research suggesting that the glycogen levels in a woman's body are increased between the 20th and 25th day of the menstrual cycle. Glycogen is the stored form of glucose or blood sugar and is an important source of fuel during athletic performances.

Some female athletes have tried to manipulate this information to gain more endurance by taking progesterone pills to prolong this phase of the cycle. Experts warn that this is not a good idea because of potentially dangerous side effects.

An Australian research team found that a woman's body responds differently to exercise depending on what part of her menstrual cycle she is in, according to a report by Reuters.

A group of healthy young women with normal monthly periods were instructed to exercise the week after menstruation (the first half of the cycle) and the week after ovulation (the second half).

Although the women did the same type and intensity of exercise, they felt the workouts were harder during the first half of their cycle compared to the second half. However, they burned more fat when they felt the exercise was easier to perform.

Estrogen and progesterone levels are high during the second half of the cycle, and this may have something do with why the women burned more fat. If the theory proves to be true, it could partly explain why menopausal women (who experience a significant drop in estrogen levels) have a hard time maintaining their weight.

The head researcher, Leanne Redman, told Reuters that a future application of this research is to find the exact dosage of estrogen that would help a menopausal woman burn fat more easily.

Scuba Diving
In an article written by Kristy Allison, a PADI Master Diver Trainer, a scientific review of 956 female divers found that 38 percent of them were menstruating when they experienced a decompression illness accident. The review also found that 85 percent of those taking oral contraceptives were menstruating at the time of their mishap.

Allison writes that this finding suggests, but does not prove, that women taking "the pill" can be at a higher risk for decompression illness during their monthly period.

Even though there is no definite proof yet, Allison cautions that women divers who take birth control pills should be prudent when diving during menstruation by making fewer dives, shorter and shallower dives and making longer safety stops.

Other menstrual-specific questions that female divers ask are regarding tampon use and increased risk of shark attack.

Allison and other diving instructors say that the use of tampons is not affected by increased pressure and menstrual bleeding will not increase the risk of being attacked by a shark because bleeding is too minimal and sharks are not attracted to menstrual blood. By the way, bears are not attracted to it either, as proven by experiments done by US national park facilities.

Divers, whether male or female, should only dive when they are feeling well. So, if a pre-menstrual or menstruating diver is feeling fatigued, dizzy or irritable, she will be a risk to herself and her diving buddy and it would be safer for her to sit out the dive.

Traditionally, inverted poses in yoga are contraindicated for menstruating women because it is believed that there is an outward flow of energy during the menstrual or "moon" cycle and inversions go against this flow.

According to Yoga Journal columnist and yoga teacher Barbara Benagh, some yoga instructors are concerned that inverted poses will cause endometriosis or vascular congestion in the uterus that could encourage excessive menstrual bleeding.

Benagh points out that current scientific research has debunked the endometriosis theory and that vascular congestion will only be a problem for women who hold the inverted poses too long.

Benagh also observes that different yoga systems give conflicting advice on which poses to practice during menstruation. The bottom line, she says, is to observe your own body and see how you feel, not just for inverted poses but also for all the asanas that you practice.

Diabetics and Exercise
For reasons that are still not very clear but are suspected to have a link with estrogen and progesterone, female diabetics can have higher or lower than normal glucose levels in the days prior to and during menstruation.

Doctors suggest that a diabetic keeps records of daily blood glucose levels for a few months and compare the non-menstruation days with the days before and during the monthly period.

If blood sugar levels are high at that time, exercise will be beneficial in removing the excess glucose. If blood sugar levels are lower than normal, exercise intensity would have to be modified to avoid hypoglycemia. In both cases, check with your doctor about increasing or decreasing food intake and insulin dosage.

Use Common Sense
On the whole, it is safe to exercise during menstruation. But the decision to do so lies strictly with you. If you feel that exercise makes you feel worse during menstruation, stop completely or reduce the intensity and duration. It's your body and no one can argue with you if you don't feel comfortable about exercising during your monthly period.

Continue reading here: How to Have a Balanced Workout

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