Effect of Exercise on Reproductive Hormones in Female Athletes

Abstract

Female athlete who engages in high intensity exercise is at risk as a consequence of hormonal changes which result in menstrual disturbances. Impaired production of gonadotrophins, which leads to luteal phase deficiency and anovulation, is a common hormonal finding with exercise-induced menstrual disturbances. There is a strong agreement in responsibility of low energy availability due to imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure during exercise to impairment hypothalamus ovarian axis (HPO) and reduction in hypothalamus, gnadotropin hormones and subsequently menstrual disorder. However, increase in stress hormone levels through hypothalamus adrenal axis (HPA) activated by strenuous physical activity has been introduced as a responsible for HPO axis impairment by some other studies. This paper summarized the effect of prolonged or high-intensity exercise in female reproductive hormone and cycle in female athletes and animal models.