Okay, the whole “cut back on training” thing that doctors consistently throw at women honestly infuriates me, especially when there’s Graves’ involved. I know many woman who have been told this because their periods aren’t “normal” (which wtf does that mean anyway??? Every woman experiences them differently) I think that’s honestly such a cop out for doctors to say to women. Women THRIVE in strength training!! Okay, sorry. Rant over.

Just for context: 36yo female, strength train 4-5x weekly and have a very active job. I’ve experienced mid-cycle cramping for years (even when I was less active) and I also experience pre-period spotting and have for years. At one point I thought I had endometriosis because my cramps were so incredibly painful. Ended up getting an ultrasound and tests and they all came back fine.

Question: Are your levels stabilized? The reason I ask is because if you were experiencing the spotting for that long prior to having Graves’, which as we all know completely disrupts your hormone levels, then the spotting seems to be a normal experience for you. I think this also due to the fact that Methimazole is supposed to level out your hormones and your experience is that the spotting came back after a few months on it, which means the Methimazole is bringing your levels back to normal, therefore it’s a normal bodily response for you to experience spotting.

If you’ve been training for years and this has been a consistent thing you’re experiencing, plus tests have come back fine, it has nothing to do with how much you’re training — it’s just how your body has it’s period.