Anonymous
What effects do running have on women?
June 22, 2009 - 3:55am
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11 comments
I want to run a half marathon (13 miles) but my friend tells me that long distance running creates cysts on your overies (sounds a bit far fetched) and that women that run can't have children later. Does long distance running have those effects, or any other effects on women?
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This sounds like a fairy tale to me.
From my experience, there are unique effects on women if they exercise too much and get below a certain body fat percentage.
Could you share what these unique effects on women are??
Hi, Anon, and welcome to EmpowHer. Thanks for your question!
(I am tempted to leave it for one of our long-distance runners on staff who are also moms!) I'm sure they will weigh in later as well. =)
I found no evidence that running at all, even long-distance running, causes ovarian cysts. What I'm wondering is if your friend knew someone who found out that they had ovarian cysts because running caused them pain in that area and they went to a doctor who discovered them. That seems likely, as some ovarian cysts can indeed be painful.
Here are two good pages on ovarian cysts, their causes and treatments:
http://www.empowher.com/media/reference/ovarian-cyst#definition
http://womenshealth.about.com/cs/ovariancysts/a/ovariancysts.htm
In terms of all aspects of running and how it can affect a woman, I found a great article by Runner's World UK called "30 Things Every Woman Should Know About Running: Health, Psychology, Pregnancy and Motherhood, Training and Racing, All From A Woman's Angle." Here's a link:
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?UAN=285
That article covers all kinds of interesting things. For instance, runners have half the risk of breast and uterine cancer and only a third the risk of diabetes than do their non-running peers, partly because the estrogen they produce is less potent. Women runners need to keep track of their levels of iron. And infants dislike post-exercise breast milk, which is higher in lactic acid.
And here's an ongoing study that shows how running benefits women:
http://www.lbl.gov/Science-Articles/Archive/running-women-study.html
One of the things that WILL hurt a woman is overtraining and undereating, such as losing your menstrual period or making your bones more vulnerable to injury. Here's an article that discusses this:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0NHF/is_6_17/ai_86649669/
And here are a couple of sites specifically geared to women runners:
http://www.traxee.com/
http://www.running4women.com/health.php
So get yourself a great pair of shoes, and enjoy!!
Diane: Thanks so much for your mention of Traxee.com! You have cited some excellent articles here on the health effects of running on women. The "urban myth" that running actually damages womens' health is one that has been floating around for a very long time, and certainly has no foundation in fact (or medical evidence). However you are also correct when you say that women athletes must be extra mindful of their nutritional needs. Many of the documented effects of prolonged intense exercise on women's reproductive cycles can be corrected with proper supplements and diet. To learn more ladies, check out the articles Diane cites here. There are also several excellent posts on Traxee.com on this subject. Happy running! Beth Moore, Founder, Traxee.com
I found this to be very helpful to me. Thank you!