Training and Menstrual Cycle

Coach Patrick

This is imported from the 24/7 GroupMe chat because It was labelled as #forumworthy ....just tag conversations like that so we can make sure they are captured here!

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TUE, 2:22 PM

@Larry Peters

New SOUP episode is about energy availability with a discussion of an elite female cyclist that gained about 10 -12 pounds while maintaining elite level training and racing. She resumed a normal menstrual cycle after not having one for 5 years (prior to that physicians and coaches did not think body weight was the cause of her loss of period). Her relative power output and racing performance was maintained or slightly enhanced, despite the weight gain.

I know ladies on the team sometimes ask about women specific resources, so I wanted to highlight this.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/science-of-ultra/id1042673386?i=1000476029331

@Shaughn Simmons

So her w/kg decreased?

@Steve boer

 "Her relative power output and racing performance was maintained or slightly enhanced, despite the weight gain." I read that as same/slight increase @KMF

@Coach Patrick - @Larry Peters  thank you for sharing. There is a dark side to elite women's performance. I know of several "semi pro" and "pro" women who followed the really shitty and strict guidance of male coaches around diet, body comp and performance and suffered BODY ALTERING effects. Never mind the mental issues. If it doesn't feel right for you, it isn't right.

@Larry Peters - Yes, @Steve Boer is right. Her w/kg improved or was the same.

@Tim Sullivan - #sodark

@Shaughn Simmons @Steve boer  if you gain 10-12 lbs  and have the same power output how can your w/kg ratio not go down?

@Steve boer - If power also goes up Leanest does not = strongest 

@Shaughn Simmons - But power didn't go up, it says power output stayed the same

@Steve boer Relative power maintained. I read that as “w/kg maintained”

@Shaughn Simmons - ok, maybe. not clear, without the numbers. I do agree, If you are doing things that are so extreme that you lose your menstrual cycle, that's not healthy and you need to stop doing them

@Steve boer - Yeah. But I do understand that women have other issues and can often be pushed beyond what is healthy. Especially once you reach elite / pro levels. Be it triathlon, track, gymnastics, or tiddlywinks 

@Sheila Leard - It’s not just elite female athletes that are obsessed with extreme lean body comp. Age groupers are as vulnerable. So are men! 

A paper just out of Australia stating that carb availability is important for efficiency for producing ATP vs just total energy availability. Feed the workout. Periodization of carbs is not hard to do. 

@Nam Lam - It actually doesn’t have to be “extreme” ( of course this is very relative for our group) for female athletes to miss their period. A lot of HS female cross country runners have changes in their periods. These girls run typically under 50-60 miles per week. Some of these girls will also have eating disorders during the 4 years they run in high school. 

@Sheila Leard - High-Carb Diet Outperforms Low-Carb in Endurance Study – PodiumRunner - PodiumRunner - https://www.podiumrunner.com/nutrition/high-carb-diet-trounces-low-carb-in-endurance-study/

@Steve boer What Runners Should Know About Missing Their Periods

runnersworld.com

@Sheila Leard - @Nam Lam Sotrue. Those girls have no idea how much they are burning. Doctors use to give these girls estrogen.  all they need is calories. Teaching about LEA Low Energy Availability is key. Keep informing about RED-S. Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport. 

@Emily Brinkley - SO forum worthy! @Sheila Leard  Did post an interesting article in the forums about a month ago on RED-S and PCOS. I’ve also learned the hard way that dropping weight isn’t always the best answer. 

@Larry Peters Yeah, sorry I didn’t make that more clear @KMF . I think The person being interviewed said “relative power output,” so I interpreted that as watts per kilogram. I’m guessing “relative power output“ makes sense to a broader audience that is not necessarily composed of cyclists. “Watts/kg” may not be as easy to follow for non cyclists....? This was a running podcast.

@Shaughn Simmons - @Larry Peters  - important message in the article....thanks for sharing.

Al Truscott

I should probably add some thoughts from my perspective as a Gynecologist...

1. No question that body weight is highly correlated with both menarche (first menstrual period) and regular menses.
2. Fat cells make estrogen; lower weight almost always is associated with lower systemic estrogen.
3. Lower estrogen not only disrupts ovarian function, and thus ovulation (which is the driver of normal menses), but also leads to loss of bone (osteoporosis), increased risk of fractures
4. There are many other potential problems which might appear that I won't go into; loss of periods is like the tip of the iceberg - it's not the problem, just a symptom.
5. Simply "replacing" estrogen pharmaceutically is insufficient; our hormonal systems are much too complex and inter-related for that to be anything other than a temporary fix. To say nothing of the potential side effects, as the "dose" will never be the correct one for any individual.
6. Much better to view the lack of menses as a sign your body thinks you are not healthy enough to become pregnant, so it's shutting down that possibility until you get "well"

My beliefs about body comp and weight as a 20 + year endurance athlete are: DON"T THINK ABOUT IT. Just do the training you need to get the result you want, replace all the calories you burn, eat the right foods, and know that your body is smart enough to set its own equilibration point around weight and body fat %.

(I will be camping for the next four days, and not able to respond but I'll check in when I get back.)