[Ovulation disturbances in athletes and their mechanisms]

Delayed menarche, amenorrhea or at least luteal insufficiency are frequent in athletic women, when in intense athletic training. The origin of these disturbances seems to be plurifactorial. The main responsible parameters seem to be: the physical and psychological stresses; nutritional factors often associated with reduced food intake (specially reduced protein and increased vegetable fibers intake), and in some cases with loss of body fat; and affective problems responsible for eating disorders. The paper describes the acute effects of training upon hormones, and the hormonal profile of athletes when in intense training. The reduced or suppressed LH pulsatile secretion determines the ovulatory disturbances. Among the responsible factors, the rise of opioids, as beta-endorphin, and the corticotropin hyperactivity, which probably play an important role, even if other mechanisms will be demonstrated later.