Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Chinese Woman, 23, Stops Menstruating After Intense Workouts, Diagnosed With Exercise-Associated Amenorrhea

Clinicians say low energy availability from heavy training suppressed her reproductive hormones to postmenopausal levels.

Overview

  • She reported exercising six days a week for about 70 minutes per session, with menstrual flow dwindling to two hours before ceasing.
  • Hospital tests in Zhejiang found female hormone levels similar to those of a 50-year-old, and doctors advised stopping intense workouts and prescribed traditional Chinese medicine.
  • Senior gynecologist Fan Yibing identified exercise-associated amenorrhea and described how an energy shortfall suppresses ovulation.
  • Expert guidance called for a two to three month break from heavy training followed by three to four weekly sessions of gentler activity such as yoga.
  • Doctors cited a roughly 17% body-fat minimum for regular periods and warned that rapid weight loss over 15 kg can trigger amenorrhoea, drawing online discussion about extreme fitness risks.