monthly cycle got longer since started running - why ?

[mousemole]

I started running about 3 months ago as I wanted to do a 10k race which was a month ago. The race was great and have carried on running 30k + a week since. My last two monthly cycles have been 30 days instead of 28 days. Anyone know why this is ? Wouldn't normally care except I am tracking the cycles because am thinking of trying for DC3.Anyone experienced this or know what it is ?

It may have nothing to do with running at all! Two days outside your normal cycle is nothing really. How old are you?

I am post meno, but my periods changed throughout my life from every 35 days-ish in my 20s up to every 17 days peri-meno at times, and years in between of being between 28-30 days.

Running or being athletic can cause your hormones to drop if you are very underweight- many female athletes do not have periods due to severe weight loss- but that amount of running should not make any difference.

When I was a teenager I found I could shorten my cycle (thus making it less heavy and painful) by going swimming. Very useful when I had exams, school trips etc. on the horizon.

I did it on several occasions, quite deliberately, and it always worked, so I think there is a link with exercise. Though your cycles have got longer, not shorter. Hmmmmm......

I am 34 and since I was 13 my cycle has been 28 days to the hour every month. I can only attribute the change to running. No biggie, and clearly a longer cycle is fine but I was just curious as to why it might be. Sadly I am a long way off being underweight so can't blame it on that ! Spenthen - how did you shorten your cycle exactly ?

Just went swimming for an hour or two. I've never been a sporty type, so a couple of hours vigorous swimming was a major workout for me! Then, like magic, things would come along a week or so early, no pain, fantastic.

No idea if it still works, though. My days of exams and school trips are thankfully far in the past, and anyway when I do go swimming it usually involves standing in the shallow end bellowing at a small child so it ain't exactly vigorous!!

spenthen _ i am no dr, but Iimagine that it was just possible that the exercise caused a dip in your hormone levels that were already on the low-ish side. Progesterone is needed for the 2nd half of the cycle, and if there is not enough then the periods comes early. The same thing happens in the menopause or the run up to it, as some women are given progesterone to stop the bleeding/spotting which can happen every day as you approach meno.

Blimey. Are you sure you are no dr??

Thanks for that, though, I never really thought about it scientifically (I just thought I had magic menstrual powers!).

at menstrual power ! Howtotellmum, that is interesting. If my cycle has become longer do you think that some hormone has increased ? The body is a weird and wonderful thing isn't it !