Why We Need to Talk About Periods

Alright, let’s talk about periods. (I know, ewww gross, periods. disgusting. Okay, did you get it out of your system? Okay, here we go.)          

I first got my period when I was twelve years old. For the first couple years, it was semi-irregular. It was quite heavy and very painful, and it would come once or every other month. However, as I began running, my flow started getting lighter and less painful. The more I ran and the less I ate, the further apart each period came. Soon, I only got my period every three months, then four. And as I started to ramp up my running even more, I lost my period for nine months.

I was told by my pediatrician as well as several OBGYN’s that this was not alarming. It was normal. Women who ran competitively or did gymnastics just didn’t have regular periods. I accepted this. I didn’t want to bleed every month anyway. (Who does??)

Every month that I didn’t get my period, I felt more and more powerful. I felt that I had earned a badge of honor in the female running world. I must have been running well enough to be considered a serious female runner.

In turn, every month that I did get my period, I felt like a failure. I felt that I was weak for having one. I must not have been as strong as a runner as I thought.

Before I go any further, I have to say that this mentality and what I was told by doctors is total b***s***. My symptoms of over-exercising, disordered eating, sensitivity to cold, fatigue, absence of period (or amenorrhea), and proneness to stress fractures and other injuries were consistent with Female Athlete Triad, or what is now called RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport) to include non- female athletes as well. (The triad is specifically defined as disordered eating, amenorrhea, and osteoporosis; however, research has shown that it is much more than that, especially when in reference to non-binary as well as trans and male athletes.)

So, what is the big deal about amenorrhea?

Is it really that bad?

In short, yes. My undereating combined with intense exercise caused me to lose my period which in turn weakened my bones and made it harder for my body to recover from workout to workout.

How exactly does this work?

Experts say that women lose their periods to protect against possible pregnancy during extreme physiological stress. All available energy that would have gone towards ovulation and menstruation is used to support fundamental body functions. This makes full recovery from intense exercise virtually impossible.

Intense exercise and low body weight are linked to lower levels of estrogen. Lower levels of estrogen cause low bone density which can lead to osteoporosis.

Moreover, regular periods are not only imperative for peak performance, but also healthy living. People who have periods cannot perform at their best without them. If you aren’t getting your period regularly, your body is trying to communicate to you that something is wrong. (This is obviously only true if you aren’t on birth control or other hormone treatments that purposely interrupt ovulation and menstruation.)

Do not let a doctor tell you that it’s nothing; that it’s normal. It’s not. It may not be RED-S, but it could be stress related, pregnancy, a symptom of hormone imbalance, endometriosis, PCOS, or other issues.

This is where the conversation must change around young women in sports. The fact that talking about periods is a taboo subject only hurts women, especially young women and young female athletes. Parents, coaches and trainers need to be more open about talking about athletes’ periods.

Trainers and coaches seem to have no problem telling kids to “pee clear” to ensure adequate hydration. Why not also promote healthy eating and exercise habits to ensure that young women are regularly menstruating? Adequate water intake and having regular periods are of equal importance when it comes to athletic performance.

Also, specifically in the running community, we have no problem talking about our post-race vomiting or our horrifying mid-run poop stories. Yet we never check up on whether young female athletes are experiencing regular periods, which is arguably the least gross thing that comes out of the body.

Fun fact, when an athlete is actively on their period, that athlete is at their performance peak.

Doctor Stacy Sims says, “Those first days [on your period] your estrogen and progesterone levels drop, which actually makes your physiology more similar to that of a male. You can hit higher intensities in workouts—faster and longer—and your core temperature is down.”

I’ve personally seen this play out in real life. My personal best for the 6k was during the first day of my period. (I was heavily bleeding and cramping the entire time. I actually felt slower than usual during the race.) Yet, I had never come close to running that fast prior and haven’t come close to it since. Here is a picture of me suffering at the end of that race.

In the end, period talk can possibly allow for early intervention of RED-S. Early intervention for RED-S is imperative for a quick and painless recovery. Waiting until an athlete has already developed maladaptive and disordered behaviors towards food and exercise is just too late. At that point, an athlete may already be in the throes of a full-blown eating disorder and/or have irreversible osteoporosis.

Before I conclude this period piece, I want to clarify that not everyone who exhibits signs of RED-S lose their period. Not everyone with eating disorders lose their period. Amenorrhea is just a symptom, and a helpful symptom in figuring out the health of the person in question. Some people don’t naturally get their first periods until the age of sixteen or seventeen. (This only becomes concerning if intense exercise and/or undernutrition is preventing menarche (a person’s first period).)

I also tried my best in this post to refrain from talking about just females in relation to periods. Intersex and non-binary people as well as trans men can have periods. It’s important to be inclusive especially when talking about people’s health.

There is power in our periods! They are not a sign of weakness. There is research suggesting that we are at our strongest during them! 

Remember, be kind and stay safe out there.

With Love,

Emily