Menstrual Cycle Effects on Sports Performance and Adaptations to Training: A Historical Perspective

An ever-increasing number of girls and women worldwide are engaging in sports, which has promoted the incentive for scientific investigations into female exercise physiology. Recently, an area of female physiology garnering considerable interest has been the influence of the menstrual cycle on the responses to exercise-specifically, are sports performance or training affected by the phases of the cycle. Views on this issue have been a 'subject of debate' in the scientific community. We questioned whether this has always been the case or whether the science community's perspective on how the menstrual cycle may affect the sport and exercise performance of the female athlete has evolved over time. To address this point, we examined published peer-reviewed 'review articles' (narrative, descriptive, systematic, etc.) spanning 1984-2024 addressing the topic. In general, article authors conveyed one of three perspectives, that; (a) there is no effect/relationship; or (b) there is an effect/relationship, though selective to certain sports and physiological systems, and limited to a small influence overall; or (c) authors were ambivalent and inconclusive on the issue. Interestingly, no overarching consensus has been reached even though research on the topic has progressed and increased substantially over the last 40 years. The majority of the perspectives conveyed were that the hormonal changes across the menstrual cycle phases do not affect female sports performance or training. However, a small number of the review articles, both past and present, have asserted that hormonal changes with the menstrual cycle phases do affect performance in certain types of exercise activities and physiologic functions (e.g., strength), under certain conditions; but the evidence and consensus therein appears to be that the effect is small or trivial.