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Related Experiment Videos

Effects of the menstrual cycle on exercise performance.

Xanne A K Janse de Jonge1

  • 1School of Exercise and Sport Science, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. x.jansedejonge@uws.edu.au

Sports Medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
|September 10, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Female athletes' exercise performance is generally unaffected by menstrual cycle hormone fluctuations, especially in strength and intense aerobic/anaerobic sports. However, prolonged exercise in heat may be negatively impacted during the mid-luteal phase due to elevated body temperature.

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Area of Science:

  • Exercise Physiology
  • Reproductive Endocrinology
  • Sports Science

Background:

  • Female reproductive hormone fluctuations during the menstrual cycle are hypothesized to influence exercise performance.
  • Accurate verification of menstrual cycle phase through hormone concentration measurement is crucial but challenging due to variability and secretion patterns.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the scientific literature on the effects of menstrual cycle phase on various aspects of exercise performance in female athletes.
  • To identify potential impacts on maximal oxygen consumption, muscle contractile characteristics, and prolonged exercise capacity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of studies measuring estrogen and progesterone concentrations to determine menstrual cycle phase.
  • Inclusion of research utilizing electrical stimulation for maximal neural activation.

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  • Analysis of determinants of maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and prolonged exercise performance metrics.

    • Main Results:

    • Current literature suggests no significant effect of menstrual cycle phase on muscle contractile characteristics or VO2max determinants.
    • VO2max itself appears unaffected by menstrual cycle phase in regularly menstruating female athletes.
    • Prolonged exercise performance, particularly in hot conditions, may be impaired during the mid-luteal phase due to increased cardiovascular strain and elevated body temperature.

    Conclusions:

    • Female athletes in strength and intense anaerobic/aerobic sports likely do not need to adjust training or competition based on menstrual cycle phase.
    • Endurance athletes competing in hot environments may benefit from considering the mid-luteal phase, as it presents potential performance decrements.
    • Further research with robust methodologies is needed to fully elucidate the effects of the menstrual cycle on prolonged exercise performance.