Contraception | Maria Huntigton’s eyes were opened – there were super days during her period

“I played sports my career as hormonal. After that, I would have liked to try sports again without it”, Mary Huntington says.

The former septuagenarian used hormonal contraception for ten years, during which time he did not notice that it had any effect. In retrospect, he realizes that it has leveled him off.

“I thought it wouldn’t work, but when I stopped, my thoughts became clearer and I cheered up. I had been in a fog.”

In addition to contraception, Huntington tried to use hormone preparations to move menstruation out of the way of the big games.

“Just before the start of menstruation, there was a clear drop in performance. I was tired, and the power output was not at its best. Of course, it was always hoped that the value race starts wouldn’t fall on those days, you just can’t not race it then.”

During the peak years of his career, he had a subcutaneous birth control pill. She also took birth control pills for the transfer of periods. However, it didn’t work out as expected for him.

“It happened a few times that the transfer of menstruation was not successful.”

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“When ovulation approached and was going on, it was really super days.”

Last in the summer, Huntington ended his career. Starting a family became relevant and she left out the birth control pill. It was only at that point that he noticed how much effect the hormone preparations had had on him.

“I went five months without contraception before I got pregnant. It was an eye-opening experience. The difference from before was huge.”

Huntington knew the stages of the menstrual cycle much better than when she was on the pill. In his opinion, the menstrual cycle should be used.

“When ovulation approached and was going on, it was really super days, I was really energetic, training went really well and I worked long hours. If I had been without hormonal contraception during my sports career, I could have taken advantage of this in terms of performance.”

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“If you learn to read the cycle and adjust your training program accordingly, it can be quite an asset.”

Cheering up was welcome because he was going through the process of giving up his sports career.

“It was by no means an easy decision. After all, it’s a kind of identity crisis, I struggled a lot with whether to continue or not.”

Huntington’s is saddened by the fact that menstruation is often thought of only negatively.

“If you learn to read the cycle and adjust your training program accordingly, it can be quite an asset.”

Even the “worst” phase of the cycle is also a good sign of the body and then you should train accordingly.

“As an athlete, I could have brought the necessary softness to training and listened to my body better. Hormonal contraception, as it were, hid the body’s messages.”

From the teenage years since Huntington used hormonal birth control because he didn’t know about anything else. In his opinion, we should talk more openly about the alternatives.

“I saw hormonal contraception as the only option. It’s quite easy to dismiss that option, and many suffer side effects without knowing it.”

At the same time, Huntington stresses that prevention comes with a big responsibility.

“I understand that it can be the best solution for middle school and high school students. But at some point it can be reconsidered.”

Huntington underlines that he is now speaking from his own experience. She doesn’t have such problems with her cycle that she needs hormone preparations because of them.

“Of course, I’m not saying that you have to live without it, for some it’s a condition of life. These are very individual things.”

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“On the other hand, when menstruation is approaching, it might not be worth forcing big work projects to finish.”

His career during Huntington did not discuss the effects of hormonal contraception on sports with his coaches or sports doctors. Only a few good sports friends were able to exchange thoughts on the subject.

“Information is not very easily available. Hormonal contraception is the one that is usually referred to and it is probably the easiest way to postpone periods. However, I would like more discussion about using natural circulation in sports. Would it even help you listen to your body and develop better?”

After his sports career, Huntington has focused his energies on entrepreneurship. Menstrual cycle is also a hard word in working life.

“You can do anything with the energy spike of ovulation. On the other hand, when menstruation is approaching, it might not be worth forcing big work projects to finish.”

Hormonal contraceptives always require a doctor’s prescription.

Specialist in sports medicine Katja Mjøsund says that the first thing we discuss with the athlete is the purpose for which they are needed. Contraception is by no means the only reason.

“An athlete may have a problem with heavy or painful menstruation or feel that performance during menstruation is poor. There is something that you want to take care of or fix.”

After that, we go through different options. There are IUDs, capsules or various pills.

“Let’s think about whether there is an obstacle to some preparations. For example, the risk of blood clots or migraine with aura are an obstacle to the combination product.”

The whys and wherefores for the use of hormonal contraceptives are diverse, sports can also play a role.

“For example, there could be a swimmer who wants a shorter period. Or if an athlete suffers from an iron deficiency, then a hormonal IUD can be an option, because in connection with it, menstruation may stop completely.”

The preparations also have side effects. For some, the IUD may feel uncomfortable, it is difficult to put it in place, or there may be intermittent bleeding. Pills can cause swelling and mood swings, mini-pills can cause acne.

On the other hand, contraceptives have also been found to protect against, for example, uterine cancer. Mjøsund reminds that all preparations have good and bad sides and they depend a lot on the individual.

“Hormonal contraception is not suitable for everyone, and for many it can be useful.”

Menstruation transfer without hormonal preparations is not possible. But if, so to speak, an organic woman wants to move her periods out of the way of value competitions, it is usually possible with the help of luteinizing hormone.

“If you have regular periods and you already know that they fall on the Paris Olympics, then you should make the transfer well in advance. For example, during the previous round. In this case, the possible side effects of the transfer will not affect the games.”

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“It’s not always the case that menstruation is a bad and troublesome thing.”

If you have a very irregular cycle, this will not work. However, not everyone even wants to postpone their periods for the Games.

“There are also athletes who feel good and strong during their period. It’s not always the case that menstruation is a bad and troublesome thing.”

Doctor has noticed an emerging trend emphasizing natural circulation. He takes a moderate approach to it.

“There are all sorts of claims at the TikTok level, but we still don’t know very well the effect of the menstrual cycle on training. There are some studies where, for example, it has been noticed that there may be a slightly increased risk of injury at a certain stage of the cycle,” says Mjøsund.

The good thing about the organic cycle is that it says a lot about the body’s well-being. Missing periods can be a sign of too little energy or too much stress. Hormonal contraceptive users cannot take advantage of this.

“That’s a really good measure,” says Mjøsund.

Organic cycle behind the interest are probably the studies that have started to emerge on the subject. The effects of the menstrual cycle on sports have been studied to some extent in the past, but the methods have evolved. Otherwise, interest in female sports and athletes has grown.

Docent of exercise physiology Ritva Mikkonen from the University of Jyväskylä has studied the effects of athletes’ menstrual cycle and hormonal contraception on exercise adaptation.

“At the moment, it seems that hormonal contraception has a slightly negative effect on training, for example in strength training it has a small negative effect on gaining muscle mass.”

According to Mikkonen, the effect is so small that the results should be treated with caution. And the benefits of birth control may outweigh the harms.

“Horizontal cup can be the fact that an athlete cannot train high-quality without it, if the menstruation is bad and training is then difficult.”

Menstrual cycle with it, mood and symptoms may vary. In Mikkonen’s studies, no difference has been found in terms of moods and symptoms when comparing the experiences of athletes who use hormone preparations and those who exercise without them. However, we are now in a difficult research zone.

“When we compared the symptoms in physically active women, they were quite similar at the beginning and at the end. We didn’t find any differences, but we don’t know what the symptoms would have been like in users of hormonal preparations if they weren’t using them.”

Most of the time, the side effects of hormonal contraception appear when you start using the product. After stopping hormonal contraception, the effects vary a lot.

“Athletes have reported weight gain and loss, feeling bad and feeling better. It’s pretty motley.”

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“But in the 2020s, we don’t have to worry about difficult periods either.”

Opinions when it comes to hormonal contraception, they are sharply divided in sports circles.

“Every athlete is different, the reasons and needs are different,” says Mikkonen.

Katja Mjøsund also points out that everyone chooses the method that suits them. It makes no sense to copy another athlete’s system.

“General well-being is the most important thing. If you don’t have menstrual problems and you know the stages of your cycle, then of course it’s fine to use it. But in the 2020s, we don’t have to worry about difficult periods either. And this applies to all women, not just athletes.”