7 Summary of Session 3

You should now be aware of the different types of hormonal contraception and have an understanding of the impact of hormonal contraception on the body and the influence it may have on athletic performance.

The main learning points of this third session are:

• Hormonal contraceptive methods include the pill, the intrauterine system (IUS), hormone patches, implants and injections.
• Hormonal contraception works by introducing synthetic versions of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone into the body.
• The synthetic hormones in hormonal contraceptives trick the brain into thinking that the body is always in the second half of the menstrual cycle and thus ovulation does not occur.
• Hormonal contraceptives may be taken by athletes for menstrual management to control symptoms such as menstrual bleeding, stomach cramps and bloating.
• Hormonal contraceptives can have significant side effects such as unwanted weight gain and experiencing low moods.
• Hormonal contraception may have a negative impact in aerobic endurance decreasing it by as much as 11% under laboratory conditions but it does not impact on strength.

In the next session you will find out about how issues with pelvic floor muscles can impact on active females and most importantly, what can be done about this.

You can now go to Session 4 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] .