Unrecognized Menstrual Disturbances Are Common in Women Who Exercise Strenuously

Women who exercise strenuously are more likely to be oligomenorrheic or amenorrheic than their sedentary counterparts. But just how common are more-subtle menstrual cycle abnormalities in these women? To address this question, investigators measured daily urinary estrone and pregnanediol glucuronide and luteinizing hormone throughout two to three consecutive menstrual cycles or a comparable monitoring interval in 67 strenuously exercising women and 20 sedentary women (mean age, 26.3).

Women in both groups had similar body-mass index (mean, 22.0 kg/m²). Among the 67 exercising women, 3 were oligomenorrheic, 16 were amenorrheic, 13 had regular cycles but evidence of luteal-phase defects, and 12 had regular but anovulatory cycles. Thus, most ex…