Excessive exercise and missed period?

[spotteddog]

I am a 15 year old distance runner, about 150 pounds usually and 5’7. I have a decent amount of muscle and fat, but not an insane amount. My bmi is around 23% I believe? I’ve been running for around 3 years, with injuries sending me out occasionally. My cycles are sometimes regular, but range still. My past few have been 33, 38, 25, 32, 33 days in order from oldest to newest. I started tracking in late January because I was late but I am not sure how long I was late for. Before, I had been cross training due to a stress fracture, but I had started a 2 month half marathon training plan beginning of January until February. All summer I have been doing cross country conditioning, and the real season started last week, kicking my ass.

The real reason for this post is because I am going on cycle day 44, and I last had sex about 15 days ago. I plan on getting a pregnancy test when I can, but I am wondering if the lateness could be normal due to my age and such strenuous exercise? We practice every day and go pretty high intensity with long distance, sprints, hills, weights (personally), etc and veryyyy few rest days.

We did use a condom, but he came inside of it and kept going after cumming in it. Frankly I don’t know if it broke or not, I just know I’m 8-9 days late and feeling very nervous about it. I’ve been late by a few days before, but never this much. I will get tested, but I am still curious if anyone knows if strenuous exercise but having a higher healthy bmi and moderate fat levels can cause irregularities. Thanks!

[al]

Hi spotteddog,

You're definitely correct in that changes in exercise can affect your hormones and how your cycle occurs. It can also be affected by things like stress or the hormonal changes that come with being a teenager. You can read more about it over at MIA, or Dude, Where's My Period?. I'm really glad to hear that you keep track of your cycle though! Do you use an app, or a pencil-and-paper method?

Based on what you described, your risk for pregnancy was fairly low, although you do want to make sure that in the future, once he has ejaculated, he pulls out and takes the condom off. Leaving it on increases the risk that semen might spill out the sides (especially if he starts to lose his erection). If you two want to keep going, you could always put a new condom on, or focus on doing something else that doesn't involve direct contact.

In all likelihood, any test that you take will come out negative and your period will arrive any day. In the meantime, have you considered adding a backup method like hormonal birth control?

[spotteddog]

Thank you so much!! That was actually really relieving. I’ve been high key stressing so that can’t be helpful either. He kept going and apparently guys lose their erections right away, but it didn’t seem like it as he was able to stay in me and it felt exactly the same, to the point I didn’t even notice he came til after we stopped.

I use the Flo app, which works pretty well for me and is really helpful, except it stresses me out being able to see how I’m in my longest cycle ever (for the last few months anyways).

I really want to use hormonal birth control, but I have to talk to my mom about it. I’ve brought it up before, and she doesn’t shun the idea but she doesn’t go for it either. My sister is on it to control PCOS and now insurance covers the full cost, so she may be more likely to agree now. She knows I’m really late now, and I’ve told her about times that I’ve been way early or way late, so hopefully she’d understand that I want to regulate my cycle (and protect against pregnancy, but I don’t want her to freak out). I don’t understand why it is a big deal to have sex if you are being safe about it, the bad things that can happen are mostly protected if you use pills and condoms. Some things I think it is fine to keep to myself.