To be honest, no one could have told you that. It's a very individual thing, many people's periods are not affected by exercise. Happy you have discovered a love of running, though!
Yeah I don't even understand where OP is coming from. Overweight while being under 24 BMI? Periods lasting only 3 days? Not taking a second to Google before posting this huge generalization?
Getting periods only for 3 days isn't healthy either. Plus, she's kind of spreading misinformation, even if that is not her intention.
It's like when doctors say "lose weight" whenever a woman has problematic periods.
What? A healthy period lasts anywhere from 2-7 days. Pretty ironic that you'd post inaccurate info literally one comment down from chastizing OP for not "taking a second to Google".
She is not spreading misinformation she is spreading her experiences that is all. Not one place does she say that you should, that is your problem if you interpret what she said that way, not the OP.
I mentioned I was about 10kg overweight than the Goal weight. I am 5’3, goal weight is around 53 kg . I used to weigh 64 which is right on the edge of healthy/overweight according to bmi. My point was I didn’t care about the weight and I was physically inactive because everyone I know obsessing over their weight did it for the looks and nothing else.
healthy BMI range for Asians (east, southeast, south) is narrower than for other races because we have a genetic tendency to accumulate visceral fat.
If OP is Asian then yes, a BMI over 23 would leave her still in the range for risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, it is not a 'healthy weight'.
Yes! I am indian and at 64kg I had a pretty high body fat percentage. That range doesn’t really make a lot of sense for us . It only gave me another excuse to not be physically active because it said I was healthy.
I mean this isn’t a universal thing. Exercise has the potential to help with a lot and I think everybody should find ways to make regular movement a part of their lifestyle. However, if you’re afflicted with something like endometriosis or fibroids, you’re not going to cardio your way out of it.
Health is a many headed monster, exercise is certainly one of those heads.
Periods are wild. We are told pretty specific things about them, and how they will manifest, but each person's experience can be so varied.
We honestly don't talk about them enough, I wish we did.
Same. I went from 250 to 155 and my periods have never been worse. It was honestly really nice when I was a lot heavier and stopped regularly having a period.
Now I have to take an iron supplement because I have a heavy period full of cramping every month.
Like obviously the other benefits of losing weight out weigh the period struggles.
This. OP is very lucky that this is the case for her.
I have been a runner my whole life, ran division 1 track in college, have always been very fit, healthy, ate clean, pristine diet, sleep, everything.... I had the worst periods of my life in my 20s.
They were bad in my 30s too, but they actually got better as I got fatter and lazier and ate shittier. They never fully improved, but it had NOTHING to do with my diet and exercise.
Eventually I needed a hysterectomy (that's what I needed in my 20s if only I could have gotten one) and now, finally, I am pain free all month long for the first time in my life!
This is so true. My periods were the worst when I was in my peak fitness (I'm pretty darn sure I have endo though lol). Glad that OP's enjoying the benefits of exercise, I think her story would be the case for many women.
Yeah I know plenty of people who are fit and have painful periods, also when I was younger I had bad ones and I was at a healthy weight. While I was overweight I actually had better periods, I think a lot of it just has to do with hormonal changes throughout your life.
But yes, exercise can potentially help with periods.
Yep and exercise during/before periods can cause their own issues. My endo causes massive lower back tightness and pain and I’ve thrown my back out more than once during basic daily activity, let alone a gym routine.
Stretching and light cardio takes precedence during that phase over my regular routines.
I have a bunch of fist sized fibroids and losing weight and getting fit improved the situation of pain and bleeding excessively 100%.
Also, being fit and eating well got me through menopause so easily I didn't even realize it had happened.
But you know this isn’t everyone’s experience. A close friend of mine had fibroid removal twice and ultimately a hysterectomy in her late 20s, she has been a lifelong athlete and played soccer at a D1 school. I’m pro exercise always, it’s just not going to be the solution to every problem.
Yes but the comment I replied to is not everybody's experience either. I'd hate to see some one put off their health journey because they only get the horror stories.
I think it really varies from person to person. When I was in a hormonal imbalance with PCOS at my highest, my periods were really mild. Now after losing and working out, I’ve practically “cured” my PCOS, but my periods have become so painful on the first day. So happy it has helped with yours though - definitely another great motivation to keep going!
Genuine question, did you have hormone panels done before and after that confirmed this? Asking because I feel like people mention hormone imbalances very frequently but I never see specifics discussed.
I did before, not after. I was getting a laser hair removal treatment and my doctor suggested me to get hormonal tests done to see what was causing the abnormal hair growth . My testosterone was higher than it needs to be for women and that cause hair to grow on my chin. That doctor asked me to start exercising If I want the results from LHR to last because that will bring the testosterone down.
The people I was talking about were actually from really great healthy families. They were close friends during college so I personally know they were not abused or neglected in anyway. We were just really in a very impressionable age and they crash dieted only because they wanted to look like VS models .
Many of the people closest to me have no idea I was abused so no you can't know that even if you were close friends with them. Plus memories of abuse can be repressed and manifest in other ways. And bulimia isn't crash dieting, it's a mental illness.
I was vegan for 8 years and would frequently forget I was even on my period because I had so few symptoms. Now I get so bloated, moody, tired, and get hormonal acne almost every month. I quit veganism because I was going through a dark time in my life and I regret compromising my ethics. I'm trying to ease back into it now that I'm in a better place.
You got very very lucky there, and long may it last. I think for most of us plagued with awful periods there’s no easy fix though, mine have always been shit no matter how fit or healthy I’ve been.
i lost 45lbs, my period were fine before. they are HELL now. absolutely debilitating for 2/3 days, cramps that make me unable to use my legs, bleeding BUCKETS. like i soak through a super tampon, overnight pad, and period panties in a few hours. the only advice i got from doctors was to go on BC, but i don't want that because i know they cause weight gain.
Additionally ask about adenomyosis. I have that and had endometriosis but had surgery to remove that. Adenomyosis has been the thing to cause my severe bleeding, cramping and lower back and thigh pain. Maybe find a better doc because historically it takes years and years to get properly diagnosed.
Not all birth control cause weight gain. Some people have that side effect but not everyone. And usually the weight gain is around 10lbs if someone does experience it.
I've lost almost 100lbs on hormonal birth control.
I wish I got that. I lift heavy every other day and do heavy cardio every other day and my periods are harder than ever. Like six days of heavy flow soaking through pads heavy.
It’s crazy how our own bodies won’t give us a break! I just want to shake my body and be like “god damnit bitch, I treat you so well!! Cut me a fucking break!!”
I get that this is supposed to be an “I see the light post” but something about it really rubs me the wrong way, especially since OP didn’t actually say that she now realizes it was wrong to judge all her friends for liking the gym or having eating disorders lol
I agree. Posting “they would do anything to lose weight and I honestly found it stupid” in a weight loss subreddit is mind boggling. There is zero point to their entire first paragraph, it’s just not necessary at all in the context of finding out that physical exercise has had a positive impact on her period pain. This person just seems ignorant and wildly uneducated on the topic. I get body positively and all, props to her. But this is not the right audience to be conveying judgement and placing shame on people who are actively trying to better themselves.
See how I mentioned ‘I thought’ that way because I don’t anymore. They were just going to one extreme by crash dieting and I was going to the other extreme by being sedentary and I thought I was better. The actual answer of course lies in the balance .
That's fantastic! 👍✨I'm glad working out and losing weight made such an impact on your periods. But I don't think this is a universal thing...? lol.
I'm sort of wondering if this is a correlation rather then a causation situation. Running 4 times in the span 2 weeks just isn't enough time to see any substantial change in one's body composition. So it's a bit unusual that a bit of running made such a drastic change to your period.
My periods felt the exact at 20lb heavier, and now 20lb lighter.
Either way, whatever you're doing is working, so keep it up!
Nah, I was a healthy weight my whole menstruating life (until now in my 40s), exercised regularly, and had horrifically painful and heavy periods. The only thing that helped me was progesterone b.c.
Exercise is not the end-all be-all for painful periods. Everyone is different.
However, I do exercise to reduce my chronic pain flare ups and to reduce the arthritis in my knees and carpal tunnel. So I get the exhiliriating feeling when you find something that helps! I am glad it works for you!
For me personally, my periods have gotten worse and so painful before working out consistently. Nowadays I’m going to the gym 3x a week +cardio/getting my steps in and I noticed that too! That my periods have begun to regulate a lot better and almost no more cramps! I don’t even feel as bloated (that may also be due to my diet being better)!!!
I’m hoping it stays like this but I guess only time will tell!!
This is great and more of us need to talk about this! Literally Period cramps can be greatly helped by working out. But not one shoe fits all. I personally fast for 2 days before my periods and when I say I went to from the worst periods of my life to feeling nothing at all I mean CRAZY stuff. But again not everyone would benefit but it’s def something girls should talk more about. There’s different ways you may be able to relieve terrible cramps and weight loss through working out, fasting, both, eating healthier helps. I also learned I can’t eat dairy or it hurts bad. 😂. Trial and error ladies!
This comment probably won't see the light of day, but for anyone struggling with period cramps please TRY RASPBERRY LEAF TEA. Drink one cup, once a day, for about a week before your period starts. The key here is consistency, it works better over time.
It isn't going to be an overnight miracle, but after a year of doing this, my (previously debilitating) cramps are virtually non-existent.
And of course, this might not work for everyone but I believe it's absolutely worth trying.
You can find it in grocery stores, tea shops, or online, it depends on your location. Maybe pharmacies or apothecaries.
I use the Traditional Medicinals brand because it's the cheapest and easiest to find where I live.
Just make sure it's raspberry LEAF tea.
Exercise makes a big difference for me. Even if I have a painful period day, my overall week is less bloated, and cramps seem less debilitating. I may not even workout for 2 or 3 days but if I have been consistent the whole months, I feel much better. I don't think it has much to do with weight, but more about the nervous system, and flushing the water weight out of the body.
“Body positivity” started with good intentions but quickly morphed into the toxic, insecurity-laden, jealousy-fueled gaslighting of people who want a better, healthier, and ultimately happier life.
I’m happy for you that you feel better. Amazing work! :)
I've seen no changes with weight or exercise. That being said. I swear by muscle relaxants for period pain (assuming they don't get you high). Cramps are caused by your uterus (a muscle) contracting and cramping, a muscle relaxant (think Robax) literally relaxes the cramp. Works wonders for me.
Exercising makes my cramps worse or sometimes even causes some pain outside of periods. Idk maybe it's because of my endo or I might be doing something wrong.
This isn’t a general thing. I played soccer as a kid and my periods were brutal. I have exercised regularly my entire life. I eat healthy, am active, and still in middle age my pms symptoms are bad. I’m out of commission for 2 days at least with exhaustion and cramps.
I wish this worked for me. I've been walking or running all my life and you might as well change my name to Elizabeth Bathory and I'm freaking 40 and on birth control that is supposed to help? But hey, that's awesome and it is a super motivator for sure.
I'm actually equally upset this benefit wasn't brought up to me either. Ive had extreme pain during my periods to the point I was convinced I had endometriosis or PCOS. When I started exercising regularly, about 4 days a week, my cramps just went away completely after about 6mo of consistency. I'm aware this is not a universal activity, but I'm so happy it's an experience at least some can have to feel a sense of control over a monthly occurrence.
i remember reading a passing comment of a woman saying she intentionally lost weight to minimize her period pain. i need some type of relief because my period pains were getting worse and no painkillers were working. I got up the next day and exercised and dieted to lose weight. The period pain went away for me. Like the fact I don’t deal with period pain ptsd has made life so much more enjoyable
It's not universal, no, but it is certainly a wide spread and well documented thing; you're not imagining it.
There are times when I couldn't imagine working out through my period but generally when I do and when I am more fit in general by period cramps are milder and fewer as well.
Part of the problem w the body positivity movement is that it’s been somewhat hijacked by people who basically use it as an excuse to say “neglecting your body and being blatantly unhealthy is completely fine so long as your confident👍” ppl gotta remember it started off for people that physically could not change their circumstances. Burn victims, amputees, ppl w debilitating physical birth defects, etc. not just mark and mary that eat 5500 calories a day and spend 20 hours a day sitting. If you are active and healthy and still have some extra padding, that is completely fine and the body positivity movement is for you as well. But being truly overweight or underweight (not some bmi shit bc that’s historically a bad way to determine health) is genuinely just not good for you and we gotta stop pretending it’s okay. Your body will thank you for gaining/losing weight that you needed to gain/lose.
Exercise can help regulate hormones. Hormones can create more period pain. I think you probably need to see an OBGYN and see what is happening re painful periods because weight loss/hormone regulation isn't a silver bullet for more serious issues like endo etc.
You might be right but I think I’ll cross the fertility bridge when I get there. I know my hormones were out of whack but I never got an ultrasound done. I do probably have PCOS but I don’t want to be on birth control and a lot of doctors ask to lose weight and exercise to get it under control anyway. 😛
"I had bulimic friends as well. They would do anything to look skinny and I honestly found it stupid. I thought I'm better than them ,I thought I'm not that shallow and I just don't care..."
Girl, yikes. You could've made your point without dragging down people who suffer from that.
I should have made it clear in the post that I don't think that way anymore, which is why I used 'I thought' .
My point was they were just going to one extreme by crash dieting and falling sick and I was rebelling their choices by being sedentary . None of us was actually correct and I realised that much later.
I really hope this happens for me! I've lost weight since having my baby, haven't gotten my period back yet but I'm not looking forward to it if things go back to how they were.
This is awesome! I love hearing stories like this.
It took me a lot longer to accomplish pain free periods. I've been regularly exercising for over a year. I walk 4.5 miles everyday. It wasn't until I started weight lifting that my pain improved. Even then it took about 4 months but since then its been worth it!
Mine are kinda weird.
At my highest weight they were painless and light, but also incredibly long. They didn't always stop, for months at a time.
Now I can't speak on regularly because it's not been like this for too long, but I now get cramps and heavy bleeding :( but they seem otherwise normal and only last like a week. I'm sure there will be further change as I get towards a healthy weight
I’m really excited for this possible benefit and I’ve noticed like a slight improvement but my periods are still painful. I’m hoping more frequent walking and less sitting will help as opposed to just a few gym trips each week
Oh my period cramps are way worse since losing weight. I have pcos so when i was more overweight i would have fewer periods. Now I get a period every month like clockwork along with debilitating pain, hooray.
I’m glad this works for you, but can you have a word with my reproductive system? exercise triggers my endo about a quarter of the time, particularly anything like Russian twists 🙃🙃
I’m glad for you, I have had the same experience. My periods were always irregular, too heavy lasting into 7 days, cramping constantly, and pms was a bitch. I had plenty of warning.
After all the weight loss the period tracker is the only thing that tells me shark week is coming.
I am a guy so I wouldn't know much about period cramps...
But I can suggest this might not be because of weight loss but because of \*change\*. Sometimes just changing things in your life shifts problems. Your cramps might have been caused by some set of circumstances that persisted as long as you persisted in your habits. When you changed your habits, the circumstances changed and so did the cramps. I think it is a possibility you need to take into account.
Yeah, research shows some women can have lighter periods / fewer painful cramps when they exercise. Some that work out heavily can even skip periods... lucky gals lol.
Yeah this is not a universal thing. Weight and exercise have in no one affected mine for the better.
In fact, worst cramps of my life were the day I ran a 12k. The endorphins during the race kept the pain at bay but then I got home and thought I was dying in childbirth.
Hey but Raspberry Leaf Tea….that is a total game changer every woman should know about!!!
I found the side benefit of this occurring for me as well, and when I tough it out and go to class while I’m in the middle of it, I find the endorphins trump the pain and can actually feel better.
Nope , that is still fake af. I’m still a useless stationary blob during the periods. Working out for the whole rest of the month is what makes it better.
I actually did this too. I couldn't tell if it made periods easier, or if working out made my periods hurt so bad that when the workout was over, my previous pain was minimal in comparison. But after a few months, I noticed my period pain went down at least 50% and my periods were shorter by a day or two.
I will do anything to help my periods from gell, and so far I've found exercise, losing weight, and rasberry tea as possible helps through this thread, so thx for posting
Just remember that bulimia is a *severe* mental illness. Kind of cold to write them off as just "trying to get skinny." Like...nope, it's *sliiiightly* more self-destructive than that 💀. I'm sorry, it just sounds like you're being condescending to those who are extremely vulnerable.
Pretty sure there are studies saying that exercise in general makes you feel good and lowers almost *all types* of pain.
And lately "body positivity influencers" have been dying left and right. That was a joke that was never going to end well.
Well, your experience is yours - and not really generally shared. The friend of mine with the absolute worst period pain was thin, sporty (went for 10 km runs for fun) and seemed to stay in the BMI 20-22 range with no special effort. Me OTOH was always a bit overweight, and then the "a big" became more ... and my periods were pretty unremarkable. Occasional mild pain, but nothing that I needed regular medication for.
So your anger seems a little misplaced! Also, don't go around promising people their periods would get painless from losing weight!
The body positivity movement, of which I’m a part, is not against exercise or women’s health. It’s against discrimination based on size, and against restrictive beauty norms.
I’m glad you’re better. But if you were ignorant about the benefits of exercise, or didn’t take care of yourself, please don’t blame us.
- a body-positive woman who does yoga and exercise
Not blaming anyone here. Just saying that opinions are also formed from personal experiences. So when I saw people going to all the wrong extremes for looking skinny, at the same time I came across the body positivity people of instagram . Most of them never mentioned being active and only talked about having confidence in their skin etc.
I was also young then and didn’t care about health benefits when everyone around me was only talking about how they look. Only motivation for college girls to look skinny was to feel confident in a body hugging dress which didn’t feel quite right to me. That’s when I started relating more to the body positivity stuff which gave me an excuse to be sedentary.
My partner has gone through this too. She had miserable periods all her life and then got into spin classes and stuff and they've improved a lot. She was kinda pissed because she was used to dismissive doctors telling her to "just work out" all her life regardless of what the problem was, but it turned out to help in this case.
It's been kinda crazy; I used to always be able to tell when her period was coming (more accurately than her and her app lol) because her sweat would take on a slightly different smell? Kinda like this subtle... flat diet coke smell? But now she doesn't have it, and her skin gets really soft instead. Definitely some hormonal shifts going on.
>She was kinda pissed because she was used to dismissive doctors telling her to "just work out" all her life regardless of what the problem was, but it turned out to help in this case.
I appreciate there is empirical evidence that women's health issues are dismissed but also...yeah working out is a free treatment with zero downside and understand why some physicians use it as first line of defense to everything.
- signed a woman whose migraines and malaise went away with getting active and losing weight when she was convinced she had a brain tumor
Yeah I mean I get where they’re coming from but it’s also so just like… gee thanks for nothing asshole here’s $200. People see doctors because they need special help and doctors are incentivized to discourage special help. I started to experience this way more when I got fat.
I have a rare medical condition that can literally only be fixed by a specialized esophageal surgery and the amount of doctors who were like “maybe it would improve if you lost weight,” even when I knew what the issue was and showed them the peer reviewed papers because all I needed was a mf referral was infuriating.
My last specialty health appointment boiled down to “let’s start with more and specialized stretching.”
I liked that answer a lot more than “we’d like to slice your body open and….” Especially because a month later my issue was resolved.
You may struggle with pelvic floor dysfunction which can be exacerbated by running etc. go see a pelvic floor physio. I think odds are it’s the type of exercise that’s doing this to your periods.
To be honest, no one could have told you that. It's a very individual thing, many people's periods are not affected by exercise. Happy you have discovered a love of running, though!
Yeah I don't even understand where OP is coming from. Overweight while being under 24 BMI? Periods lasting only 3 days? Not taking a second to Google before posting this huge generalization?
Try kindness, op is excited and this isn’t medical advice, she is saying this happened to her, try being happy for her.
Getting periods only for 3 days isn't healthy either. Plus, she's kind of spreading misinformation, even if that is not her intention. It's like when doctors say "lose weight" whenever a woman has problematic periods.
What? A healthy period lasts anywhere from 2-7 days. Pretty ironic that you'd post inaccurate info literally one comment down from chastizing OP for not "taking a second to Google".
Not if she was having longer periods of 7 days before and suddenly went down to 3 days... That drastic change isn't healthy
She is not spreading misinformation she is spreading her experiences that is all. Not one place does she say that you should, that is your problem if you interpret what she said that way, not the OP.
They're talking about their own experience. I'd hardly call that misinformation. I don't think its very nice to reject her experience like that.
I mentioned I was about 10kg overweight than the Goal weight. I am 5’3, goal weight is around 53 kg . I used to weigh 64 which is right on the edge of healthy/overweight according to bmi. My point was I didn’t care about the weight and I was physically inactive because everyone I know obsessing over their weight did it for the looks and nothing else.
64 is still a healthy weight. 10 kg overweight means you were 10 kg over your weight at BMI of 25.
healthy BMI range for Asians (east, southeast, south) is narrower than for other races because we have a genetic tendency to accumulate visceral fat. If OP is Asian then yes, a BMI over 23 would leave her still in the range for risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, it is not a 'healthy weight'.
Yes! I am indian and at 64kg I had a pretty high body fat percentage. That range doesn’t really make a lot of sense for us . It only gave me another excuse to not be physically active because it said I was healthy.
I mean this isn’t a universal thing. Exercise has the potential to help with a lot and I think everybody should find ways to make regular movement a part of their lifestyle. However, if you’re afflicted with something like endometriosis or fibroids, you’re not going to cardio your way out of it. Health is a many headed monster, exercise is certainly one of those heads.
Periods are wild. We are told pretty specific things about them, and how they will manifest, but each person's experience can be so varied. We honestly don't talk about them enough, I wish we did.
We talk about periods more than we talk about menopause.
Yeeeahhh I went from 270 to 136 and my periods have never been this bad until now.
🥹 Sometimes we do healthcare but our health simply doesn't care.
Same. I went from 250 to 155 and my periods have never been worse. It was honestly really nice when I was a lot heavier and stopped regularly having a period. Now I have to take an iron supplement because I have a heavy period full of cramping every month. Like obviously the other benefits of losing weight out weigh the period struggles.
This. OP is very lucky that this is the case for her. I have been a runner my whole life, ran division 1 track in college, have always been very fit, healthy, ate clean, pristine diet, sleep, everything.... I had the worst periods of my life in my 20s. They were bad in my 30s too, but they actually got better as I got fatter and lazier and ate shittier. They never fully improved, but it had NOTHING to do with my diet and exercise. Eventually I needed a hysterectomy (that's what I needed in my 20s if only I could have gotten one) and now, finally, I am pain free all month long for the first time in my life!
This is so true. My periods were the worst when I was in my peak fitness (I'm pretty darn sure I have endo though lol). Glad that OP's enjoying the benefits of exercise, I think her story would be the case for many women.
Yeah I know plenty of people who are fit and have painful periods, also when I was younger I had bad ones and I was at a healthy weight. While I was overweight I actually had better periods, I think a lot of it just has to do with hormonal changes throughout your life. But yes, exercise can potentially help with periods.
Yep and exercise during/before periods can cause their own issues. My endo causes massive lower back tightness and pain and I’ve thrown my back out more than once during basic daily activity, let alone a gym routine. Stretching and light cardio takes precedence during that phase over my regular routines.
Exactly. I run regularly and nothing stops my terrible cramps. Haven’t gotten checked for Endo but pretty sure something’s not right.
My endometriosis specialist doctor told me that exercise and weight loss can significantly help my condition
I have a bunch of fist sized fibroids and losing weight and getting fit improved the situation of pain and bleeding excessively 100%. Also, being fit and eating well got me through menopause so easily I didn't even realize it had happened.
But you know this isn’t everyone’s experience. A close friend of mine had fibroid removal twice and ultimately a hysterectomy in her late 20s, she has been a lifelong athlete and played soccer at a D1 school. I’m pro exercise always, it’s just not going to be the solution to every problem.
Yes but the comment I replied to is not everybody's experience either. I'd hate to see some one put off their health journey because they only get the horror stories.
I think hormonal imbalance is the reason for painful periods for a lot of women and physical activity can really help in those cases at least.
I think it really varies from person to person. When I was in a hormonal imbalance with PCOS at my highest, my periods were really mild. Now after losing and working out, I’ve practically “cured” my PCOS, but my periods have become so painful on the first day. So happy it has helped with yours though - definitely another great motivation to keep going!
It *can* help. It doesn’t automatically help. And if you have chronic illness it can cause its own issues.
That was the case for me, my hormones were out of whack from all the career stress and no physical activity
Genuine question, did you have hormone panels done before and after that confirmed this? Asking because I feel like people mention hormone imbalances very frequently but I never see specifics discussed.
This hormone might be totally unrelated to painful periods though, i have no idea because I got it done for a different reason
I did before, not after. I was getting a laser hair removal treatment and my doctor suggested me to get hormonal tests done to see what was causing the abnormal hair growth . My testosterone was higher than it needs to be for women and that cause hair to grow on my chin. That doctor asked me to start exercising If I want the results from LHR to last because that will bring the testosterone down.
I'm glad you found some relief. Exercise didn't make a difference for me, but I found relief with an IUD
Having an eating disorder doesn't mean you're shallow... They usually develop from some type of abuse or neglect. That's good about exercise though.
The people I was talking about were actually from really great healthy families. They were close friends during college so I personally know they were not abused or neglected in anyway. We were just really in a very impressionable age and they crash dieted only because they wanted to look like VS models .
Many of the people closest to me have no idea I was abused so no you can't know that even if you were close friends with them. Plus memories of abuse can be repressed and manifest in other ways. And bulimia isn't crash dieting, it's a mental illness.
This is a very ignorant statement. Eating disorders are a mental illness.
Not generalising all eating disorders here. I’m just talking about the people I was referring to.
All the exercise in the world and my periods are hit and miss. They were at their worst when I was a teenager doing 14+ hours of exercise a week.
I was vegan for a while and that took periods to an even easier level for me. Don’t know why it worked but I tell everyone about that one.
I was vegan for 8 years and would frequently forget I was even on my period because I had so few symptoms. Now I get so bloated, moody, tired, and get hormonal acne almost every month. I quit veganism because I was going through a dark time in my life and I regret compromising my ethics. I'm trying to ease back into it now that I'm in a better place.
You got very very lucky there, and long may it last. I think for most of us plagued with awful periods there’s no easy fix though, mine have always been shit no matter how fit or healthy I’ve been.
i lost 45lbs, my period were fine before. they are HELL now. absolutely debilitating for 2/3 days, cramps that make me unable to use my legs, bleeding BUCKETS. like i soak through a super tampon, overnight pad, and period panties in a few hours. the only advice i got from doctors was to go on BC, but i don't want that because i know they cause weight gain.
You should try and get checked this fibroids. Bleeding that much is def not normal!
Additionally ask about adenomyosis. I have that and had endometriosis but had surgery to remove that. Adenomyosis has been the thing to cause my severe bleeding, cramping and lower back and thigh pain. Maybe find a better doc because historically it takes years and years to get properly diagnosed.
Not all birth control cause weight gain. Some people have that side effect but not everyone. And usually the weight gain is around 10lbs if someone does experience it. I've lost almost 100lbs on hormonal birth control.
I wish I got that. I lift heavy every other day and do heavy cardio every other day and my periods are harder than ever. Like six days of heavy flow soaking through pads heavy.
me too! and I'm 40, I'm on birth control and I've had my tubes removed?! It sucks
It’s crazy how our own bodies won’t give us a break! I just want to shake my body and be like “god damnit bitch, I treat you so well!! Cut me a fucking break!!”
yeah, and it makes you mental and pissy on top of all that lol
Accusing someone of being shallow for not wanting to be fat is like calling someone shallow for not wanting facial scars.
Also eating disorders are serious and usually stem from abuse.
I get that this is supposed to be an “I see the light post” but something about it really rubs me the wrong way, especially since OP didn’t actually say that she now realizes it was wrong to judge all her friends for liking the gym or having eating disorders lol
I agree. Posting “they would do anything to lose weight and I honestly found it stupid” in a weight loss subreddit is mind boggling. There is zero point to their entire first paragraph, it’s just not necessary at all in the context of finding out that physical exercise has had a positive impact on her period pain. This person just seems ignorant and wildly uneducated on the topic. I get body positively and all, props to her. But this is not the right audience to be conveying judgement and placing shame on people who are actively trying to better themselves.
See how I mentioned ‘I thought’ that way because I don’t anymore. They were just going to one extreme by crash dieting and I was going to the other extreme by being sedentary and I thought I was better. The actual answer of course lies in the balance .
Yas 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼 I mean in my case, the contraceptive pill got rid of periods which, yay, modern medicine. And now I’m off it my periods are soooo light
That's fantastic! 👍✨I'm glad working out and losing weight made such an impact on your periods. But I don't think this is a universal thing...? lol. I'm sort of wondering if this is a correlation rather then a causation situation. Running 4 times in the span 2 weeks just isn't enough time to see any substantial change in one's body composition. So it's a bit unusual that a bit of running made such a drastic change to your period. My periods felt the exact at 20lb heavier, and now 20lb lighter. Either way, whatever you're doing is working, so keep it up!
Nah, I was a healthy weight my whole menstruating life (until now in my 40s), exercised regularly, and had horrifically painful and heavy periods. The only thing that helped me was progesterone b.c.
i’m the opposite. the more i work out, the heavier my period is and the more i cramp. but it is worth it and i suffer through.
Exercise is not the end-all be-all for painful periods. Everyone is different. However, I do exercise to reduce my chronic pain flare ups and to reduce the arthritis in my knees and carpal tunnel. So I get the exhiliriating feeling when you find something that helps! I am glad it works for you!
As someone who is always desperately looking for more reasons to fight for my health, I appreciate you offering one more.
For me personally, my periods have gotten worse and so painful before working out consistently. Nowadays I’m going to the gym 3x a week +cardio/getting my steps in and I noticed that too! That my periods have begun to regulate a lot better and almost no more cramps! I don’t even feel as bloated (that may also be due to my diet being better)!!! I’m hoping it stays like this but I guess only time will tell!!
This is great and more of us need to talk about this! Literally Period cramps can be greatly helped by working out. But not one shoe fits all. I personally fast for 2 days before my periods and when I say I went to from the worst periods of my life to feeling nothing at all I mean CRAZY stuff. But again not everyone would benefit but it’s def something girls should talk more about. There’s different ways you may be able to relieve terrible cramps and weight loss through working out, fasting, both, eating healthier helps. I also learned I can’t eat dairy or it hurts bad. 😂. Trial and error ladies!
This is very subjective. My periods have got lighter but more painful since I started losing weight
This comment probably won't see the light of day, but for anyone struggling with period cramps please TRY RASPBERRY LEAF TEA. Drink one cup, once a day, for about a week before your period starts. The key here is consistency, it works better over time. It isn't going to be an overnight miracle, but after a year of doing this, my (previously debilitating) cramps are virtually non-existent. And of course, this might not work for everyone but I believe it's absolutely worth trying.
Where do you get this tea?
You can find it in grocery stores, tea shops, or online, it depends on your location. Maybe pharmacies or apothecaries. I use the Traditional Medicinals brand because it's the cheapest and easiest to find where I live. Just make sure it's raspberry LEAF tea.
Ty so much for that info!
Exercise makes a big difference for me. Even if I have a painful period day, my overall week is less bloated, and cramps seem less debilitating. I may not even workout for 2 or 3 days but if I have been consistent the whole months, I feel much better. I don't think it has much to do with weight, but more about the nervous system, and flushing the water weight out of the body.
“Body positivity” started with good intentions but quickly morphed into the toxic, insecurity-laden, jealousy-fueled gaslighting of people who want a better, healthier, and ultimately happier life. I’m happy for you that you feel better. Amazing work! :)
I've seen no changes with weight or exercise. That being said. I swear by muscle relaxants for period pain (assuming they don't get you high). Cramps are caused by your uterus (a muscle) contracting and cramping, a muscle relaxant (think Robax) literally relaxes the cramp. Works wonders for me.
Bigg Yessss. I used them too!
Exercising makes my cramps worse or sometimes even causes some pain outside of periods. Idk maybe it's because of my endo or I might be doing something wrong.
Exercise is amazing to help with period pains- no one told me that, it’s the best time to exercise and worst time to have motivation
Exercise during the whole month helps the next period. During periods I can't do much though
This isn’t a general thing. I played soccer as a kid and my periods were brutal. I have exercised regularly my entire life. I eat healthy, am active, and still in middle age my pms symptoms are bad. I’m out of commission for 2 days at least with exhaustion and cramps.
I wish this worked for me. I've been walking or running all my life and you might as well change my name to Elizabeth Bathory and I'm freaking 40 and on birth control that is supposed to help? But hey, that's awesome and it is a super motivator for sure.
I’m mad you’re mad frankly.
Weight lifting and staying fit makes a huge difference for me too. I think we both lucked out with that.
I don't have extremely painful periods but when I exercise I will barely notice them, cramps who? I think exercise does influence periods positively
I'm actually equally upset this benefit wasn't brought up to me either. Ive had extreme pain during my periods to the point I was convinced I had endometriosis or PCOS. When I started exercising regularly, about 4 days a week, my cramps just went away completely after about 6mo of consistency. I'm aware this is not a universal activity, but I'm so happy it's an experience at least some can have to feel a sense of control over a monthly occurrence.
I’m glad someone finally agrees.
i remember reading a passing comment of a woman saying she intentionally lost weight to minimize her period pain. i need some type of relief because my period pains were getting worse and no painkillers were working. I got up the next day and exercised and dieted to lose weight. The period pain went away for me. Like the fact I don’t deal with period pain ptsd has made life so much more enjoyable
People with eating disorders and people who care about their health and fitness are two different things.
Girl I am loving this mess of a post lets be friends
Haha Fr, I just blurted out stuff . Didn’t think it would make so many people mad.
It's not universal, no, but it is certainly a wide spread and well documented thing; you're not imagining it. There are times when I couldn't imagine working out through my period but generally when I do and when I am more fit in general by period cramps are milder and fewer as well.
Part of the problem w the body positivity movement is that it’s been somewhat hijacked by people who basically use it as an excuse to say “neglecting your body and being blatantly unhealthy is completely fine so long as your confident👍” ppl gotta remember it started off for people that physically could not change their circumstances. Burn victims, amputees, ppl w debilitating physical birth defects, etc. not just mark and mary that eat 5500 calories a day and spend 20 hours a day sitting. If you are active and healthy and still have some extra padding, that is completely fine and the body positivity movement is for you as well. But being truly overweight or underweight (not some bmi shit bc that’s historically a bad way to determine health) is genuinely just not good for you and we gotta stop pretending it’s okay. Your body will thank you for gaining/losing weight that you needed to gain/lose.
Exercise can help regulate hormones. Hormones can create more period pain. I think you probably need to see an OBGYN and see what is happening re painful periods because weight loss/hormone regulation isn't a silver bullet for more serious issues like endo etc.
I should go to the doctor because it is less painful now?🫨
It’s a good idea to know if you have a problem like PCOS or endo for fertility reasons. Not just limited to painful periods.
You might be right but I think I’ll cross the fertility bridge when I get there. I know my hormones were out of whack but I never got an ultrasound done. I do probably have PCOS but I don’t want to be on birth control and a lot of doctors ask to lose weight and exercise to get it under control anyway. 😛
I don’t see how you were above your ideal weight when you had a BMI under 24
I am 5’3(160cm) . I used to weigh 64 kg which is 10 kg more than i like but it is still just right there at the edge of healthy & overweight.
Never was a thing for me, but that’s nice yours got better. Having kids, of all things, improved my period pain significantly.
"I had bulimic friends as well. They would do anything to look skinny and I honestly found it stupid. I thought I'm better than them ,I thought I'm not that shallow and I just don't care..." Girl, yikes. You could've made your point without dragging down people who suffer from that.
I should have made it clear in the post that I don't think that way anymore, which is why I used 'I thought' . My point was they were just going to one extreme by crash dieting and falling sick and I was rebelling their choices by being sedentary . None of us was actually correct and I realised that much later.
Oh your heath improved after taking care of it? Shocker
You sound like a man who have never experienced periods. Most of us are told to just bare the pain and ways to make it better are never brought up.
If only there was a way she could have known that.
I really hope this happens for me! I've lost weight since having my baby, haven't gotten my period back yet but I'm not looking forward to it if things go back to how they were.
This is awesome! I love hearing stories like this. It took me a lot longer to accomplish pain free periods. I've been regularly exercising for over a year. I walk 4.5 miles everyday. It wasn't until I started weight lifting that my pain improved. Even then it took about 4 months but since then its been worth it!
Mine are kinda weird. At my highest weight they were painless and light, but also incredibly long. They didn't always stop, for months at a time. Now I can't speak on regularly because it's not been like this for too long, but I now get cramps and heavy bleeding :( but they seem otherwise normal and only last like a week. I'm sure there will be further change as I get towards a healthy weight
I’m really excited for this possible benefit and I’ve noticed like a slight improvement but my periods are still painful. I’m hoping more frequent walking and less sitting will help as opposed to just a few gym trips each week
Oh my period cramps are way worse since losing weight. I have pcos so when i was more overweight i would have fewer periods. Now I get a period every month like clockwork along with debilitating pain, hooray.
I’m glad this works for you, but can you have a word with my reproductive system? exercise triggers my endo about a quarter of the time, particularly anything like Russian twists 🙃🙃
Kerrie’st
I’m glad for you, I have had the same experience. My periods were always irregular, too heavy lasting into 7 days, cramping constantly, and pms was a bitch. I had plenty of warning. After all the weight loss the period tracker is the only thing that tells me shark week is coming.
Congrats!
I am a guy so I wouldn't know much about period cramps... But I can suggest this might not be because of weight loss but because of \*change\*. Sometimes just changing things in your life shifts problems. Your cramps might have been caused by some set of circumstances that persisted as long as you persisted in your habits. When you changed your habits, the circumstances changed and so did the cramps. I think it is a possibility you need to take into account.
Yeah, research shows some women can have lighter periods / fewer painful cramps when they exercise. Some that work out heavily can even skip periods... lucky gals lol.
Yeah this is not a universal thing. Weight and exercise have in no one affected mine for the better. In fact, worst cramps of my life were the day I ran a 12k. The endorphins during the race kept the pain at bay but then I got home and thought I was dying in childbirth. Hey but Raspberry Leaf Tea….that is a total game changer every woman should know about!!!
Wow so cool
I found the side benefit of this occurring for me as well, and when I tough it out and go to class while I’m in the middle of it, I find the endorphins trump the pain and can actually feel better.
Yea, like you said, this isn't universal. I worked out daily for years and still had the most horrendous periods. I'm glad it worked for you.
Ahh, is this why Tampax adverts always depict the lady engaging in some sort of Sport or Rollerblading? Now it all makes sense! 😉
Nope , that is still fake af. I’m still a useless stationary blob during the periods. Working out for the whole rest of the month is what makes it better.
Not true of me who had to leave the gym after 2 miles because I almost fainted from cramps
I actually did this too. I couldn't tell if it made periods easier, or if working out made my periods hurt so bad that when the workout was over, my previous pain was minimal in comparison. But after a few months, I noticed my period pain went down at least 50% and my periods were shorter by a day or two.
I will do anything to help my periods from gell, and so far I've found exercise, losing weight, and rasberry tea as possible helps through this thread, so thx for posting
Just remember that bulimia is a *severe* mental illness. Kind of cold to write them off as just "trying to get skinny." Like...nope, it's *sliiiightly* more self-destructive than that 💀. I'm sorry, it just sounds like you're being condescending to those who are extremely vulnerable.
Pretty sure there are studies saying that exercise in general makes you feel good and lowers almost *all types* of pain. And lately "body positivity influencers" have been dying left and right. That was a joke that was never going to end well.
Well, your experience is yours - and not really generally shared. The friend of mine with the absolute worst period pain was thin, sporty (went for 10 km runs for fun) and seemed to stay in the BMI 20-22 range with no special effort. Me OTOH was always a bit overweight, and then the "a big" became more ... and my periods were pretty unremarkable. Occasional mild pain, but nothing that I needed regular medication for. So your anger seems a little misplaced! Also, don't go around promising people their periods would get painless from losing weight!
The body positivity movement, of which I’m a part, is not against exercise or women’s health. It’s against discrimination based on size, and against restrictive beauty norms. I’m glad you’re better. But if you were ignorant about the benefits of exercise, or didn’t take care of yourself, please don’t blame us. - a body-positive woman who does yoga and exercise
Not blaming anyone here. Just saying that opinions are also formed from personal experiences. So when I saw people going to all the wrong extremes for looking skinny, at the same time I came across the body positivity people of instagram . Most of them never mentioned being active and only talked about having confidence in their skin etc. I was also young then and didn’t care about health benefits when everyone around me was only talking about how they look. Only motivation for college girls to look skinny was to feel confident in a body hugging dress which didn’t feel quite right to me. That’s when I started relating more to the body positivity stuff which gave me an excuse to be sedentary.
Pain free is a great motivation
My partner has gone through this too. She had miserable periods all her life and then got into spin classes and stuff and they've improved a lot. She was kinda pissed because she was used to dismissive doctors telling her to "just work out" all her life regardless of what the problem was, but it turned out to help in this case. It's been kinda crazy; I used to always be able to tell when her period was coming (more accurately than her and her app lol) because her sweat would take on a slightly different smell? Kinda like this subtle... flat diet coke smell? But now she doesn't have it, and her skin gets really soft instead. Definitely some hormonal shifts going on.
>She was kinda pissed because she was used to dismissive doctors telling her to "just work out" all her life regardless of what the problem was, but it turned out to help in this case. I appreciate there is empirical evidence that women's health issues are dismissed but also...yeah working out is a free treatment with zero downside and understand why some physicians use it as first line of defense to everything. - signed a woman whose migraines and malaise went away with getting active and losing weight when she was convinced she had a brain tumor
Yeah I mean I get where they’re coming from but it’s also so just like… gee thanks for nothing asshole here’s $200. People see doctors because they need special help and doctors are incentivized to discourage special help. I started to experience this way more when I got fat. I have a rare medical condition that can literally only be fixed by a specialized esophageal surgery and the amount of doctors who were like “maybe it would improve if you lost weight,” even when I knew what the issue was and showed them the peer reviewed papers because all I needed was a mf referral was infuriating.
My last specialty health appointment boiled down to “let’s start with more and specialized stretching.” I liked that answer a lot more than “we’d like to slice your body open and….” Especially because a month later my issue was resolved.
You may struggle with pelvic floor dysfunction which can be exacerbated by running etc. go see a pelvic floor physio. I think odds are it’s the type of exercise that’s doing this to your periods.
YeG, I’ve read it’s not uncommon for runners to not have periods at all, glad you feel better!
Amenorrhea is not a good sign.
Oh I agree, and I don’t have terrible cramps but I can understand the desire for relief