How does Your Period Affect Your Exercise Performance?

Menstrual Cycle And Exercise Key Points:

- The menstrual cycle is a biological process that supports reproduction.

- The three main phases of the cycle are the follicular, ovulatory, and luteal phases.

- During each phase, the fluctuations of two primary sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone, might impact exercise performance in women.

- However, any detrimental effects of menstruation on exercise are trivial at best during the different phases.

- Instead, it is recommended that women track their cycles and training and combine them to develop an individualized approach to exercise and nutrition.

Over the last 30 years, there has been a significant rise in the number of women participating in exercise. However, research on female athletes and those interested in general fitness has not kept pace with this exponential rise in participation.

One area of research on women that has been neglected is the effects of the menstrual cycle on exercise performance, more specifically, how menstruation might affect strength, aerobic and anaerobic capabilities, and muscle recovery.

Before we discuss how the menstrual cycle might affect exercise performance, we first need to understand:

• What is the menstrual cycle?

• The phases of the menstrual cycle.

• The main hormones found in each cycle and their fluctuations.

Let’s Dive in!

What Is The Menstrual Cycle?

You can think of the menstrual cycle as an essential biological process where there are significant changes in a woman’s sex hormones.

The primary purpose of these fluctuations is to support reproduction, BUT they also might exert various effects on the cardiovascular, respiratory, metabolic, and neuromuscular systems.

These effects might affect exercise performance.

What Are The Different Phases?

The menstrual cycle can be divided into six separate phases. In order, these are:

1. Early follicular - Days 1-5.

2. Late follicular - Days 6-12.

3. Ovulation - Days 13-15.

4. Early luteal - Days 16-19.

5. Mid-luteal - Days 20-23.

6. Late luteal - Days 24-28.

Next, let’s discuss the two primary hormones found in each phase and how their levels fluctuate.

Hormonal Changes During The Different Phases Of Menstruation

The two key hormones that fluctuate during the menstrual cycle are estrogen and progesterone.

Let’s briefly discuss each before moving on to how they rise and fall during each menstruation phase.

What Is Estrogen And What Does It Do?

Estrogen plays various roles in the body, but one of its primary functions is it helps develop and maintain both the reproductive system and female characteristics.

Furthermore, estrogen can be broken down into three different types.

1. Estrone - present in the body after menopause. It is a weaker form of estrogen that can be converted to other forms of estrogen as necessary.

2. Estradiol - the most common type of estrogen during a female's reproductive years. This type of estrogen might have the most significant effect on exercise performance.

3. Estriol - levels of estriol rise during pregnancy and peak just before birth. It functions to help the uterus grow.

It’s also important to know that estrogen is a very anabolic (muscle building) hormone and may help increase glycogen storage while increasing fat utilization.