This means the advantages of early maturity seen in the junior boys ranks are less prevalent in girls racing. It also means that whilst 13 year old girls will often be able to beat boys of the same age in races, by the age of 14 or 15 when the boys have started to go through puberty the advantage has been lost. Excessive exercise tends to delay puberty by about 5 months for every year of training with the associated medical, physical and psychological problems. At the other end of the scale there is no evidence that exercise has any effect on the date of the menopause. Exercise will however protect against some of the side effects of the menopause such as fatigue and bone loss although over-training may exacerbate the problems.
Women frequently ask questions relating to exercise and menstruation.
There is no evidence that exercise of any type during menstruation is harmful nor that menstruation causes a drop in performance. Indeed some women feel they perform better at this time. Heavy bleeding may lead to anaemia which will cause lethargy and tiredness. Also the hormonal changes prior to menstruation may lead to bloating and fatigue. Exercise itself increases brain levels of 5HT as does carbohydrate ingestion.