Manipulating menstrual cycles

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Guys, I know you're curious about this, so I'm not going to apologize for wanting to delve into a rather delicate female issue.

It's becoming increasingly common for women to take action through artificial hormones to avoid their period during a pivotal event, such as a wedding or even a marathon. I can tell you from personal experience that the latter can cause numerous problems with performance and end up under certain circumstances as ranking among your most embarrassing moments. That is, if things are left to run their natural course. I've never tried to manipulate my monthly cycle, but I've been tempted.

I mention this now because I just read this post on Derek's blog and admit the trend toward women eliminating their monthly cycles disturbs me. As inconvenient and painful as menstruation may be (and I know it can be, believe me), there is also something perversely reassuring about their regularity and the relief that immediately follows. Amenorrhea is a common problem among female athletes and especially women runners. Numerous women I know who've confided (in a couple of cases even bragged) about losing their periods due to diet and/or exercise later had fertility problems. Could be a coincidence. But I just can't see where pumping your body with artificial hormones for years just to have more fun and less PMS is beneficial in the long run. Period.

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