Effects of menstruation and contraceptive pill on the performance of physical education students.

Abstract

Of the 109 specialist female physical education students who answered a detailed questionnaire on menstruation and the contraceptive pill in relation to exercise, 91 (83.5%) reported that they suffered menstrual problems. These included stomach ache, depression, abdominal cramps and backache. Over two-thirds of the students considered that these problems adversely influenced their physical performance. However, whether they had a mainly physiological or psychological effect is not clear. Many of the students with menstrual problems thought that exercise had a beneficial effect and helped alleviate their discomfort. A small number of students reported problems such as amenorrhoea and reduced menses possibly due to excessive training.Just under half the students in the investigation took the contraceptive pill, and though as many students taking the pill complained of menstrual problems as those not taking it, they reported less problems and to a lesser degree. Most students claimed that taking the contraceptive pill had no effect upon their performance. REVIEW OF LITERATUREVarious studies of the effects of menstruation on performance suggest that co-ordination is decreased before and during menstruation and is increased immediately after menstruation (Erdelyi, 1962;Shangold, 1980) whereas anaerobic and aerobic work capacity are unaffected during the menstrual cycle (Stephenson et al, 1980). However, the most common effects on sports performance often result from changes in the balance between oestrogen and progesterone before and during the menstrual period. These menstrual problems are known as the "dysmenorrhoea" syndrome.

Physical, Biochemical, and Neuromuscular Responses to Repeated Sprint Exercise in Eumenorrheic Female Handball Players: Effect of Menstrual Cycle Phases

“…However, it was significantly lower in LP compared with FP only for the 2 final sprints (p , 0.05, h 2 p 5 0.44). This result is in agreement with previous studies demonstrating a higher performance in swimming sprints and multiple cycling sprints during FP (2,27). Conversely, some other studies reported better total work after 10 times 6 repeated sprint cycling ( 24) and a better performance in specific judo tasks (38) during the LP compared with mid-FP.…”

Effects of Combination Oral Contraceptives on Strength Development in Women Athletes

“…However, combination OCAs were associated with reduced handgrip endurance time and force output (39). Aerobic performance declined in some OCA users (9,22,28) and did not in others (1,6,10,19,22), and OCA use does not appear to affect anaerobic performance (10,22,24).…”

Sports gynaecology

“…When considering RED‐S, prevention is better than cure, owing to the potentially irreversible nature of the long‐term health associations. Given that more than two‐thirds of sportswomen report adverse effects from menstruation on their performance, amenorrhoea associated with RED‐S may be welcome to uninformed sportswomen. Therefore, it is essential that all sportswomen and associated personnel must be made fully aware of the aetiology and short‐term and long‐term performance and health‐related risks of RED‐S.…”