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Impact of Physical Activity and Exercise on Female Reproductive Potential

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Exercise and Human Reproduction

Abstract

Although exercise among girls and women is beneficial for overall health and well-being, the development of an energy deficiency as a result of inadequate energy intake to compensate for exercise energy expenditure can lead to menstrual dysfunction. It has been established that it is not the stress of exercise that causes reproductive dysfunction; rather, in an attempt to conserve energy, metabolic adaptations triggered by an energy deficiency alter the normal production and pulsatility of reproductive hormones at all levels of the hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian (HPO) axis. As such, estrogen and progesterone concentrations decline, resulting in a spectrum of exercise-associated menstrual disturbances (EAMD). The spectrum of EAMD includes the severe menstrual disturbances, amenorrhea and oligomenorrhea, which are easily detected by the absence of menses for at least 3 months or long and inconsistent cycles of 36–90 days, respectively. Less severe EAMD include luteal phase defects and anovulation which typically occur within regular intermenstrual intervals, thereby causing these disturbances to often remain undetected. Suppressed follicular growth and oocyte maturation, poor endometrial quality, spontaneous abortion, and infertility are all clinical reproductive consequences of EAMD. However, EAMD can be prevented by maintaining a healthy body weight and an energy replete state. Likewise, effective nonpharmacological treatment of EAMD includes an increase in caloric intake and weight gain to reverse the energy deficiency and promote recovery of normal menstrual function. Upon recovery and/or maintenance of an energy replete state, regular exercise among girls and women is encouraged.

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Abbreviations

BMD:

Bone Mineral Density

EA:

Energy availability

EAMD:

Exercise-associated menstrual disturbances

FHA:

Functional hypothalamic amenorrhea

FSH:

Follicle-stimulating hormone

GnRH:

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone

hCG:

Human chorionic gonadotropin

HPA:

Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal

HPO:

Hypothalamic–pituitary–ovarian

LBM:

Lean body mass

LH:

Luteinizing hormone

LPD:

Luteal phase defects

PCOS:

Polycystic ovarian syndrome

PdG:

Pregnanediol glucuronide

TT3:

Triiodothyronine

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Kinesiology, Pennsylvania State University, 104 Noll Laboratory, 16802, University Park, PA, USA

    Rebecca J. Mallinson PhD, Jenna C. Gibbs PhD & Mary Jane De Souza PhD

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  1. Rebecca J. Mallinson PhD
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  2. Jenna C. Gibbs PhD
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  3. Mary Jane De Souza PhD
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Correspondence to Mary Jane De Souza PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Morphological Sciences, University of Cordoba Department of Morphological Sciences, Cordoba, Spain

    Diana Vaamonde

  2. Division of Medical Physiology, Stellenbosch University , Tygerberg, South Africa

    Stefan S du Plessis

  3. Cleveland Clinic Foundation, American Centre for Reproductive Medicin Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA

    Ashok Agarwal

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Mallinson, R., Gibbs, J., De Souza, M. (2016). Impact of Physical Activity and Exercise on Female Reproductive Potential. In: Vaamonde, D., du Plessis, S., Agarwal, A. (eds) Exercise and Human Reproduction. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3402-7_11

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