With exception of an athlete experiencing unusual discomfort or excessive flow, there is no physiologic reason why training or competition should be avoided during menstruation. Most Olympic sportswomen do not interrupt training during menstruation, although the type of training and the intensity of training may be modified. About one out of four women sometimes interrupt training, and only one out of 20 does not train during menstruation. Caution must also be given with diaphragms continually worn and to intrauterine devices that might complicate an abdominal blow. The female athlete usually exhibits less colic, less premenstrual headaches and tension, and greater regularity than the nonathlete.
Physical exercise appears to be a distinct aid in the treatment of dysmenorrhea.
Neither the menarche nor conditions for future pregnancy are disturbed by active participation in sports, and no detrimental long-range gynecologic effects from vigorous physical activity have been determined. However, according to Corwin, many female athletes report disruption or even cessation of their periods during intensive training. This is related to lowering the percentage of body fat, which has a direct effect on hormonal levels and the menstrual cycle. There is no doubt that the influence of menstruation on athletic performance is a highly individualized effect. The female athlete who is distinctly disadvantaged by the physiologic function of menstruation can have her menstrual cycle medically adjusted so that competition will occur at the optimum time of her cycle, but this is not usually advisable.