If excessive exercise (for example, marathon training) has caused a
woman's monthly ovulation to occur late and her luteal phase to
shorten, how long will it take her to restore normal ovulation once
she cuts back on her exercise level?

Dear Kylie18-ga,
Your question is a very important one for women athletes. Please
remember I am not a physician and in many of the places I went to they
suggest women with menstrual disturbances should go see their
physician. That is because these exercise-induced disturbances can
cause other problems (loss of bone mass) and it could be that the
menstrual irregularities a women experiences are due to some other
cause.

With that said it appears from my searching about the web that
exercise alone is not the sole reason for irregular menstrual cycles
and amenorrhea (absence of a menses). There are several different
things if done together that will increase the chances of this
occurring. Low calorie intake to aid in losing weight, low calcium
intake, strenuous exercise, and rapidly increasing the amount of
exercise when an exercise regimen is started all contribute to a
progression of menstrual disturbances.
http://www.ivf.com/amenath.html

Disturbances are listed from early stages to later stages of
disturbances. The items below are from
http://www.ivf.com/amenath.html.

1.“Regular cycles with shortened luteal phase-progesterone production
stops early
2.Regular cycles with Inadequate progesterone production 
3.Regular cycles with failure to develop and release an egg
(anovulation)
4.Irregular cycles but still ovulating 
5.Irregular cycles and anovulation 
6.Absence of menses and ovulation “

Here is an “UptoDate” article by Dr. Ann E. Taylor, Harvard Medical
School.
http://www.uptodate.com/patient_info/topicpages/topics/13601P2.asp
In it she mentions that if a women lowers the amount of exercise and
increases her calcium and calorie intake usually normal menses will
return in 3-6 months. If it doesn’t then she suggests other tests be
done to see what other problems might be causing the irregular
menstrual cycles.

Hope that helps and I encourage you to see your physician.
Nealc-ga

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Clarification of Answer by nealc-ga on 11 Sep 2002 12:36 PDT

Sorry I forgot to tell you what my search terms were for my answer:
amenorrhea and exercise
nealc-ga

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Request for Answer Clarification by kylie18-ga on 12 Sep 2002 09:35 PDT

Hi:  I am not experiencing amenhorra.  I have been having a 34 day
cycle, but I am ovulating late and having a hosrt luteal phase as
indicated.  Does this change the answer?

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Clarification of Answer by nealc-ga on 12 Sep 2002 14:12 PDT

Menstrual cycle dysfunctions like shortening of the luteal phase is an
example of the earlier stages that can lead to amenorrhea. Since a
shorten luteal phase is a less severe form of menstrual cycle
dysfunctions upon increasing caloric intake, increasing calcium, and
reducing the amount of exercise the luteal phase should return to
normal within 3-6 months. I can not find a reference that directly
mentions how long it will take for restoration of the luteal phase
however, the url below mentions the length of the luteal phase can be
returned to normal "upon assuming a less strenuous training schedule
and insuring adequate caloric intake".
http://www.ivf.com/amenath.html