A healthy and regular menstrual cycle is considered a vital sign of good health for premenopausal women. A normal menstrual cycle should occur every 25-35 days, (give or take a few days on either end), with the average cycle length falling at about 28 days. The length of the period can range from 3-7 days and the flow can be light, moderate, or heavy within a single menstrual cycle. A woman’s experience of her menstrual cycle may be unique to her, and what constitutes normal can have a broad range. Most importantly, each woman should be familiar enough with her own cycle to know if something has changed and when it is appropriate to seek help. One such situation would be the complete loss of a menstrual cycle for 3 months or more. Amenorrhea is defined as a complete absence of menses in a woman of reproductive age.…

Tags: Menstruation, Stress, Athletes, Fertility, Menopause


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Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea: A Tale of Stress, Starvation, and Excessive Exercise

The balance of hormones is essential for all aspects of human health and the same plays true for athletes. Whether you are a beginner working on getting into shape and losing weight, or a seasoned veteran with many competitions under your belt, understanding your hormones and how they change with intense exercise is essential to getting as much as possible out of your training. ZRT Laboratory is launching 2 new kits that will enable athletes to track their hormones and help them better understand the changes happening to their body.…

Tags: Fitness, Athletes, Blood Spot Testing, Saliva Testing


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Introducing ZRT’s new Fitness Metrics and Elite Athletic Metrics profiles

Growing up, I never thought of myself as a runner, or really a good athlete in general. I played every sport possible as a kid growing up in Minnesota, but I was never great, which is why I never played high school sports (other than trying cross country skiing the one year we didn’t end up having any snow…). As an adult, I started playing team sports again and eventually was convinced to run a…

Tags: Athletes, Testosterone, Estrogen, Progesterone, Thyroid Health, Vitamin D, Neurotransmitters


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How Your Hormones Affect Athletic Performance and Why You Need to Start Testing

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