performance lessening during PMS and menstruation

How do I minimize cardiovascular exercise performance lessening during PMS and menstruation?

I commute by bicycle about 42 kilometres (26 miles) round trip, 5 days per week. The roads are well paved, with some rolling hills.

I’ve recovered from athletic amenorrhea. Since I’ve build up enough endurance to cope with my work out, my gynaecologist opted to stop prescribing estrogens, as my menstruation period is back to normal. By increasing my food intake, my Body Mass Index is 19.2 at 106 pounds with 21% body fat.

While the increase of endorphins from bicycling, which prevents the psychological drawbacks of PMS, the physiological part is still a problem. Yet, my determination keeps me riding to and from work. The main problem is the decrease in performance during those inconvenient days. Plus the abdominal bloating and breast tenderness can be difficult. Then, a week later, the menstrual cramps come along, lasting 2-4 days and further decrease my performance.

My partner, Yin had suggested that she would give me a ride in her car. I absolutely refused. I am determined to ride my bicycle no matter what it takes.

While I have been post menopausal for quite awhile, i had the same issue. It significantly interfered when I was teaching classes at the gym. I never really found a total solution, except that sometimes just doing a milder form of exercise decreased a lot of the symptoms you describe. I am the exact same size as you; in fact, I weighed quite a bit less when I was younger and never experienced the loss of my period.
Why don't you decrease your focus on performance and just try to enjoy the ride when you are having PMS symptoms? If you slow down, this might increase the "good feeling," and decrease the physical symptoms. Stress about performance would definitely add to PMS symptoms, even physical ones, which I was the queen of. You certainly don't need to be "fast" when you commute. Riding at a slower pace will still get you the positive benefits and you won't have to "take the car" (though there is nothing wrong with that, either).
It sounds like you might benefit from some relaxation/stress reduction strategies, like yoga or meditation. Have you done any other type of therapy to deal with your athletic amenorrhea disorder? My experience has been that sometimes people tend to substitute one type of thing they can "control" for another, unless the root cause of your need to do this is worked on.

Does your livelihood depend on the consistency of your performance?

If not, maybe you could just embrace the variation...ok, embrace might be too much, maybe just sit with it.

Whenever I curse the crazy changes and wish for some sort of consistency, I hear an echoing whisper of "be careful what you wish for..." because what if the consistent state ended up being made up of all the inconvenient, uncomfortable and downright painful bits...

How is your iron?

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Originally Posted by Crankin

Why don't you decrease your focus on performance and just try to enjoy the ride when you are having PMS symptoms? If you slow down, this might increase the "good feeling," and decrease the physical symptoms. Stress about performance would definitely add to PMS symptoms, even physical ones, which I was the queen of. You certainly don't need to be "fast" when you commute. Riding at a slower pace will still get you the positive benefits and you won't have to "take the car" (though there is nothing wrong with that, either).
It sounds like you might benefit from some relaxation/stress reduction strategies, like yoga or meditation. Have you done any other type of therapy to deal with your athletic amenorrhea disorder? My experience has been that sometimes people tend to substitute one type of thing they can "control" for another, unless the root cause of your need to do this is worked on.

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Like the others here, Kate: ask yourself why you need to always maintain the level of cycling performance that you ask of yourself. Are you training to compete? Are you riding to keep pace with a much stronger rider(s)? That would be a different matter. Enjoy the ride, particularily on days when you aren't feeling optimum because of menstrual cramps, etc.

How long have you been cycling regularily?
I've been doing the same distance daily as you have. I'm short and small-boned. My BMI is 18%. Don't really care about my body fat measurement and my doctor as of 2 wks. ago, didn't care either. I'm abit under 95 lbs. Though I've been eating more, have lost 5-6 lbs. in past few months because of all this regular cycling. Most likely weight will be regained over the winter. It's an ongoing cycle nearly yearly. :) Over the past few decades, I have occasionally lost my period, but I always regained it back after 1-2 months. I never needed a physician to advise on this occasional problem nor take estrogen nor birth control pill to regularize menstrual cycles.

But every woman is different. My iron is back to normal. Not sure if it's due to same as your athletic amenorrhea, but I did not need to take estrogen.

I am in perimenopause...incredibly rare, short flashes, just a slow fade out over past 2 yrs. Never really experienced menstrual cramps in past nor now. Given my history, am probably very lucky. And due to reasonable (not perfectly) healthy eating and enjoying regular cycling for quite a number of years!!

Relax, Kate. You're in great shape, no matter what others may think. Unless you want to be another Jeannie Longo. :rolleyes:

It's a beautiful autumn. Enjoy it. Focus on that now.

Just realized who you were...the one that likes to pace with a car.

ENough said. Don't know enough about you..still. :D
Can't really help you here, woman. (If this is who you are..) And having a period unless one is bedridden shouldn't the most damaging thing to woman's ego on her "off" days, if she's just bike commuting.

I commute most every day, period or no period, but it doesn't bother me much. That said, my inner thermostat goes a little haywire for a few days, so I have to wear more clothes and be careful not to get too hungry or I'll freeze. I also have a lower pain threshold and get sick easier, so I ride but just ease back on the intensity for a few days. Looser clothing makes it a bit more comfortable.

But I'm not sure if you're asking how to simply keep commuting during your period, or how to keep up your performance. Performance improves by riding hard at times, and riding easier at times, to let your body heal from the high intensity rides and then improve. I think most all training philosophy agrees that the only performance that can be maintained regularly at all times is a mediocre one. You do actually need the "slow" days at least as much as the "fast" days, if you want to get faster.

The racer dudes on my Norwegian bike forum are forever griping about how they get passed on their "recovery days" by silently crowing commuter warriors, and how it kills them to not speed up and leave them coughing in the dust :D

Can't you lose bone when your period stops due to low body fat?

When I was running half- and full marathons, I had very low body fat. I was too thin. My gyne told me that staying on the pill "saved" my bone mass.

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Originally Posted by Mad Kate

How do I minimize cardiovascular exercise performance lessening during PMS and menstruation?

I commute by bicycle about 42 kilometres (26 miles) round trip, 5 days per week. The roads are well paved, with some rolling hills.

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Kate I battle with this problem too. I have found the Iron issue to be extremely important. I actually notice more of a drop in energy a few days before menses than after. I can only guess that it is my body stealing all my iron away from me and along with it my desire to move. I commute 4 - 5 days a week too I understand how the energy thing can be a real pain. When it is getting near that time I try to drink extra water, I'm not sure how much water we really lose but I can tell the way my muscles feel I'm dehydrated sometimes. I make a point to drink an extra glass or two (water bottle or two) per day. Don't beat yourself up too much though, during that time is prime time to pick up bugs if your immune system gets low. Take care I hope that helps some. :)

I had a doctor tell me once to take it easy during menses because it's a sort of cleanse, and that mild exercise is fine - my long, moderate rides, but intense exercise - sprints, intervals - diverts the body's energy away from what it should be on.

Roxy