A 23-year-old Chinese woman, who exercises six times a week, found that she no longer has her period due to rapid weight loss. - Photo: Shutterstock
BEIJING: A 23-year-old woman in China has captivated social media after she revealed that intense exercise six times a week led to her menstruation stopping.
The woman, who lives in Zhejiang province, eastern China, said hospital check-ups discovered that her female hormone levels were about that of a 50-year-old, according to a report by the City Express.
“Doctors also said I had obvious symptoms of kidney deficiency and I must suspend workouts. They prescribed piles of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) medications for me to regulate my body,” the woman, whose name was not disclosed in the report, said.
A young woman works out in the gym. The 23-year-old in this case exercised six times a week. - Photo: Shutterstock
She said she was once as heavy as 65kg due to binge eating. Her current weight and height are unclear.
In recent months she has become addicted to working out. She exercises six times a week, with each session lasting for 70 minutes, she said.
However, she found her menstruation volume gradually decreased and the last time it only lasted for two hours.
“Previously I took a rest for a month after I became sick and was hospitalised, but my menstruation was quite regular. Now I work out a lot, causing endocrine disorders. I also had insomnia recently. This result is like killing the goose that lays the golden egg,” said the woman.
Running to keep in shape. Doctors have warned that intense regular exercise can affect a woman’s hormone levels. - Photo: Shutterstock
Fan Yibing, a senior gynaecologist from Zhejiang Zhongshan Hospital, said the woman’s problem is called Exercise Associated Amenorrhea, which happens when the energy intake is insufficient while energy consumption is too high.
“When the body feels the energy crisis, it will switch off the reproductive function temporarily to ensure survival,” Fan was quoted as saying.
“The brain gonadotrophin’s secretion dwindles, leading to the lower level of female hormone and suspension of ovulation. Therefore, menstruation is postponed or ceased,” explained the doctor.
Fan added that this type of amenorrhoea is reversible, meaning that menstruation could be recovered after adjusting the intensity of workouts and achieving an energy balance.
The doctor pointed out that a woman’s body fat percentage should not be lower than 17 per cent to maintain normal menstruation.
However, an extreme high level of body fat percentage, such as over 32 per cent, could also disrupt the hormone balance and cause menstrual irregularities.
Growing older: The woman said her female hormone levels dropped to that of a 50-year-old. - Photo: Shutterstock
Liu Haiyuan, a doctor from Beijing Union Medical College Hospital, told the media that losing more than 15kg in a short period of time would likely trigger amenorrhoea.
He warned women not to take health products containing female hormones without consulting doctors because it would increase the risk of breast cancer.
“In this woman’s case, I suggest she stop the intense training for 2 to 3 months. After that, she can exercise 3 to 4 times a week by doing some slow and relaxing movements like yoga,” said Liu.
There was immediate discussion on mainland social media after the incident hit 15 million reads on one platform.
“Too much is as bad as too little. For anything, we should do it moderately,” one online observer said.
While another person said: “I think I have found a good reason for being lazy.” - South China Morning Post
