Can you exercise during your period?
The question comes up in every changing room, usually in a low voice. Health authorities give a clear answer, along with a few pointers for adapting a session without giving it up.
The essentials
- Yes, you can train during your period, at whatever intensity suits you that day.
- Walking, cycling, swimming and yoga are among the things recommended for period pain.
- Three missed periods in a row, or pain that stops your day: see a doctor.
Is it risky to train during my period?
No. The US Office on Women’s Health answers the question in one word: yes, you can work out during your period. Researchers, it adds, have found no difference in a woman’s ability to exercise across the menstrual cycle. One exception stands out: in long events such as marathons, in hot and humid weather, exercise felt harder between ovulation and the next period.
What does vary from one woman to another is energy. Some feel flat during their period, others have more energy than usual, and changing hormone levels across the cycle are the likely reason. Neither is abnormal. How you feel on the day is a better guide than any general rule.
Does exercise ease the pain or make it worse?
It tends to ease it. The NHS lists gentle exercise among the things that help: yoga, swimming, walking or cycling, alongside a warm shower or a hot water bottle on your tummy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says much the same: exercising most days of the week can make you feel better, because aerobic workouts help the body produce chemicals that block pain.
The effect is not guaranteed for everyone. According to the Office on Women’s Health, some women have fewer painful cramps when they exercise regularly, which is not a promise of relief on the day. Period pain usually lasts up to three days. If walking feels good and sprinting doubles you over, you have your answer for today.
Should I change my session on heavy days?
Only if your body asks you to. A period lasts between two and seven days, usually about five, and bleeding tends to be heaviest in the first two. Nothing obliges you to cancel on those days. Swapping intervals for an easy jog, shortening the session or choosing the pool are options, not obligations.
To see the pattern, the Office on Women’s Health suggests keeping a journal: the dates of your period and your energy level at each workout. After a few months you should be able to see when in your cycle you have more energy and when you have less. On hormonal contraception those swings may still be there, though often less noticeable. On the practical side, keep a spare pad or tampon in your kit bag.
My periods have stopped since I started training: is that serious?
It is a signal you should not leave unattended. Doing too much exercise is one of the known causes of late or missed periods, and it can also happen to women who go straight from no activity to a vigorous routine. The Office on Women’s Health is clear that a regular period is a sign of good health. Over time, missed periods can lead to loss of bone density and problems getting pregnant.
The NHS benchmark is simple: three missed periods in a row call for an appointment, as do periods that have become irregular. Pregnancy, stress and some contraceptives produce the same picture, which is why a medical opinion beats a guess. Do not read a missing period as proof that your training is working.
In your kit bag
Do
- Keep your session if you feel well; there is no need to cut back on principle.
- Choose walking, cycling, swimming or yoga on painful days.
- Track your periods and your energy in a notebook for a few months.
- Pack a spare pad or tampon and kit you feel comfortable in.
Avoid
- Forcing yourself through the planned session when the pain builds.
- Treating missed periods as a sign of fitness.
- Putting up in silence with pain that stops you working or studying.
When to seek advice
See a doctor if your pain becomes worse than usual, if it stops you doing your usual activities, if your periods become heavier or irregular, or if you bleed between periods. Three missed periods in a row also call for an appointment.
General guidance for healthy adults. It does not replace advice from a health professional who knows your situation.