Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsMenstrual ImpactsExercise EffectsWhen to Seek Care
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Menstrual Impacts
Exercise Effects
When to Seek Care
However, exercise can sometimes cause unexpected changes to your cycle. Some people may experience irregular or missed periods, especially with intense or sudden changes in physical activity. These effects are usually harmless, but if they last longer than two to three months or come with other concerning symptoms, it’s a good idea to talk to a healthcare provider.
Verywell / Brianna Gilmartin
How Your Menstrual Cycle Affects Exercise
Here’s how each week of your menstrual cycle might influence your ability to exercise:
Menstrual phase (days 1-5):The menstrual cycle starts on day one of your period.Estrogenand progesterone levels are lowest at this time, but gradually rise throughout your period. Some people feel very tired during their period, while others feel it’s easier to be active compared to previous weeks. Light to moderate exercise, like walking or yoga, might be ideal during this time.
Follicular phase (days 6-14):Estrogen levels rise quickly during this phase as your body prepares forovulation(when the egg is released from the ovary). You might feel stronger and motivated to do more intense workouts, like running, cycling, or strength training.
Ovulation and earlyluteal phase(days 15-21):Estrogen levels peak around ovulation, then drop in the early luteal phase as progesterone levels start to increase. Hormone shifts during this time might make you feel a bit sluggish. Some people find that exercising boosts their mood and energy. Try working out in the morning if your energy tends to drop later in the day.
Late luteal phase (days 22-28):Both estrogen and progesterone levels decline as your body prepares for your next period. You may feel particularly fatigued or havePMS symptoms, like bloating or mood swings, at this time. Many people find that gentle exercise, like light walking or stretching, helps relieve symptoms. Others benefit most from taking advantage of these days to rest.
Is it OK to Workout During Your Period?Yes, it’s OK to work out during your period, and it may even ease cramps and lift your mood. Since energy levels can vary during menstruation, it’s important to adjust your routine to match how you feel. Try gentle activities like yoga on low-energy days, or go for jogging or strength training when you feel energized.
Is it OK to Workout During Your Period?
Yes, it’s OK to work out during your period, and it may even ease cramps and lift your mood. Since energy levels can vary during menstruation, it’s important to adjust your routine to match how you feel. Try gentle activities like yoga on low-energy days, or go for jogging or strength training when you feel energized.
How Exercise Can Change Your Menstrual Cycle
Exercise benefits your health overall, but intense physical activity can sometimes affect the hormones that regulate your menstrual cycle. For some people, this disruption may cause changes in their cycle. These changes can include the following:
Breakthrough Bleeding
Breakthrough bleeding, also known asspotting, is a common type of vaginal bleeding that happens outside your regular period.
Exercise can cause subtlehormone fluctuationsthat prompt the uterus to shed its lining (endometrium).This results in dark or bright red blood with a lighter flow than your regular period.
Spotting after exercise can occur with higher intensity workouts or be related to:
Missed Periods
Missing your periods as a result of strenuous exercise is called exercise-inducedamenorrhea.
An extreme form of exercise-induced amenorrhea is known as the female athlete triad. This describes a specific condition in adolescent and young female athletes who experience the following:
Intense exercise combined with low calorie intake stresses the body, causing the hypothalamus to reduce ovarian stimulation. This leads to missed periods, lower hormone production, and reduced estrogen levels, which can result in bone loss and other health issues.
Change in Your Flow
Don’t be alarmed if you notice that your periodsbecome a bit lighteronce you start regularly exercising. The same hormonal changes that can stop your periods altogether can also lead to a lighter flow.
Additionally, regular exercise can lead to weight loss, which may also lead to a lighter flow.
Body fat (adipose tissue) actually produces a type of estrogen. Excess estrogen in your body can cause the lining of your uterus to build up more than usual during the first half of your cycle. The thicker the lining, the heavier your menstrual flow.
Weight loss, therefore, decreases the amount of estrogen in your body, which in turn decreases the buildup of your uterine lining that occurs each cycle. A thinner lining means a lighter flow.
Period Pain
There are two types of period pain (dysmenorrhea): primary and secondary dysmenorrhea. Exercise may help, but its effectiveness depends on the type of dysmenorrhea:
Exercise can decrease blood flow to fibroids, causing ischemia (pain from lack of blood), which can lead to more intense cramps if the fibroids are large.
When to See a Healthcare Provider
See your healthcare provider if you experience any of the following:
Regular periods are a good sign that your body is functioning normally, as they indicate balanced hormones and overall reproductive health.
That said, it’s worth seeing a healthcare provider for an evaluation any time you have a sudden change in your period, especially if it occurs without changes to your physical activity level or lifestyle.
Summary
Intense exercise can cause changes in the hormones responsible for your menstrual cycle. It can cause you to have breakthrough bleeding when you are not on your period, lighter periods than you normally have, and sometimes, no period at all.
For the most part, some breakthrough bleeding or an occasional missed period is not a big concern if you have just started exercising, have suddenly increased the intensity of your exercise, or have just lost a lot of weight.
But if you have seen a change in your cycle that continues for two to three months in a row, you should discuss it with your doctor.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Armour M, Ee C, Naidoo D, et al.Exercise for dysmenorrhoea.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Sep;9(9):CD004142. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004142.pub4U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Physical activity and your menstrual cycle.U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Physical activity and your menstrual cycle.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Vaginal bleeding between periods.Harvard Medical School.Dysfunctional uterine bleeding.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Vaginal bleeding — hormonal.Sinchak K, Mohr M, Micevych P.Hypothalamic astrocyte development and physiology for neuroprogesterone induction of the luteinizing hormone surge.Front Endocrinol. 2020 Jun;11(1). doi:10.3389/fendo.2020.00420Maya J, Misra M.The female athlete triad: Review of the current literature.Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2022 Feb 1;29(1):44–51. doi:10.1097/MED.0000000000000690Mahajan N, Sharma S.The endometrium in assisted reproductive technology: How thin is thin?J Hum Reprod Sci. 2016 Mar;9(1):3-8. doi:10.4103/0974-1208.178632Bernardi M, Lazzeri L, Perelli F, Reis FM, Petraglia F.Dysmenorrhea and related disorders.F1000Res. 2017 Sep;6(1):1-7. doi:10.12688/f1000research.11682.1U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Period problems.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Armour M, Ee C, Naidoo D, et al.Exercise for dysmenorrhoea.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Sep;9(9):CD004142. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004142.pub4U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Physical activity and your menstrual cycle.U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Physical activity and your menstrual cycle.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Vaginal bleeding between periods.Harvard Medical School.Dysfunctional uterine bleeding.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Vaginal bleeding — hormonal.Sinchak K, Mohr M, Micevych P.Hypothalamic astrocyte development and physiology for neuroprogesterone induction of the luteinizing hormone surge.Front Endocrinol. 2020 Jun;11(1). doi:10.3389/fendo.2020.00420Maya J, Misra M.The female athlete triad: Review of the current literature.Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2022 Feb 1;29(1):44–51. doi:10.1097/MED.0000000000000690Mahajan N, Sharma S.The endometrium in assisted reproductive technology: How thin is thin?J Hum Reprod Sci. 2016 Mar;9(1):3-8. doi:10.4103/0974-1208.178632Bernardi M, Lazzeri L, Perelli F, Reis FM, Petraglia F.Dysmenorrhea and related disorders.F1000Res. 2017 Sep;6(1):1-7. doi:10.12688/f1000research.11682.1U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Period problems.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Armour M, Ee C, Naidoo D, et al.Exercise for dysmenorrhoea.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Sep;9(9):CD004142. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004142.pub4U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Physical activity and your menstrual cycle.U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Physical activity and your menstrual cycle.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Vaginal bleeding between periods.Harvard Medical School.Dysfunctional uterine bleeding.Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Vaginal bleeding — hormonal.Sinchak K, Mohr M, Micevych P.Hypothalamic astrocyte development and physiology for neuroprogesterone induction of the luteinizing hormone surge.Front Endocrinol. 2020 Jun;11(1). doi:10.3389/fendo.2020.00420Maya J, Misra M.The female athlete triad: Review of the current literature.Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2022 Feb 1;29(1):44–51. doi:10.1097/MED.0000000000000690Mahajan N, Sharma S.The endometrium in assisted reproductive technology: How thin is thin?J Hum Reprod Sci. 2016 Mar;9(1):3-8. doi:10.4103/0974-1208.178632Bernardi M, Lazzeri L, Perelli F, Reis FM, Petraglia F.Dysmenorrhea and related disorders.F1000Res. 2017 Sep;6(1):1-7. doi:10.12688/f1000research.11682.1U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Period problems.
Armour M, Ee C, Naidoo D, et al.Exercise for dysmenorrhoea.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Sep;9(9):CD004142. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004142.pub4
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Physical activity and your menstrual cycle.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Vaginal bleeding between periods.
Harvard Medical School.Dysfunctional uterine bleeding.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Vaginal bleeding — hormonal.
Sinchak K, Mohr M, Micevych P.Hypothalamic astrocyte development and physiology for neuroprogesterone induction of the luteinizing hormone surge.Front Endocrinol. 2020 Jun;11(1). doi:10.3389/fendo.2020.00420
Maya J, Misra M.The female athlete triad: Review of the current literature.Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2022 Feb 1;29(1):44–51. doi:10.1097/MED.0000000000000690
Mahajan N, Sharma S.The endometrium in assisted reproductive technology: How thin is thin?J Hum Reprod Sci. 2016 Mar;9(1):3-8. doi:10.4103/0974-1208.178632
Bernardi M, Lazzeri L, Perelli F, Reis FM, Petraglia F.Dysmenorrhea and related disorders.F1000Res. 2017 Sep;6(1):1-7. doi:10.12688/f1000research.11682.1
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Period problems.
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