Methodological Approach of the Iron and Muscular Damage: Female Metabolism and Menstrual Cycle during Exercise Project (IronFEMME Study)

Abstract

Background: The increase in exercise levels in the last few years among professional and recreational female athletes has led to an increased scientific interest about sports health and performance in the female athlete population. The purpose of the IronFEMME Study described in this protocol article is to determine the influence of different hormonal profiles on iron metabolism in response to endurance exercise, and the main markers of muscle damage in response to resistance exercise; both in eumenorrheic, oral contraceptive (OC) users and postmenopausal well-trained women. Methods: This project is an observational controlled randomized counterbalanced study. One hundered and four (104) active and healthy women were selected to participate in the IronFEMME Study, 57 of which were eumenorrheic, 31 OC users and 16 postmenopausal. The project consisted of two sections carried out at the same time: iron metabolism (study I) and muscle damage (study II). For the study I, the exercise protocol consisted of an interval running test (eight bouts of 3 min at 85% of the maximal aerobic speed), whereas the study II protocol was an eccentric-based resistance exercise protocol (10 sets of 10 repetitions of plate-loaded barbell parallel back squats at 60% of their one repetition maximum (1RM) with 2 min of recovery between sets). In both studies, eumenorrheic participants were evaluated at three specific moments of the menstrual cycle: early-follicular phase, late-follicular phase and mid-luteal phase; OC users performed the trial at two moments: withdrawal phase and active pill phase. Lastly, postmenopausal women were only tested once, since their hormonal status does not fluctuate. The three-step method was used to verify the menstrual cycle phase: calendar counting, blood test confirmation, and urine-based ovulation kits. Blood samples were obtained to measure sex hormones, iron metabolism parameters, and muscle damage related markers. Discussion: IronFEMME Study has been designed to increase the knowledge regarding the influence of sex hormones on some aspects of the exercise-related female physiology. Iron metabolism and exercise-induced muscle damage will be studied considering the different reproductive status present throughout well-trained females’ lifespan.

Effect of Different Types of Face Masks on the Ventilatory and Cardiovascular Response to Maximal-Intensity Exercise

“…Based on the current considerations for research in sport and exercise science with women as participants [26], the first day of the menstrual cycle started with the onset of menstrual bleeding. Furthermore, eumenorrheic participants performed a urinary ovulation test (Ellatest, Alicante, Spain) to detect the luteinizing hormone surge occurring 24-36 h before ovulation from 3 days before the predicted ovulation day by the calendar-based counting method until a positive test was recorded, as previously indicated [26,27]. In accordance with this, participants with eumenorrheic cycles were evaluated during the mid-follicular phase (day 6 to 10 of the cycle) or during the mid-luteal phase (+5 to +9 days after confirmed ovulation).…”

EEG Delta/Theta Ratio and Microstate Analysis Originating Novel Biomarkers for Malnutrition-Inflammation Complex Syndrome in ESRD Patients

“…Consequently, it may affect the second question of MIS and deviate the score to be either zero or one in our ESRD subjects (normal or slightly less quantity of food intake). Iron deficiency presented in this study might also be affected by menstruation (Peinado et al, 2021 ). As a result, we suggested that our results should be interpreted with these considerations.…”

Menstrual cycle affects iron homeostasis and hepcidin following interval running exercise in endurance-trained women

“…Participants possessed 7.4 ± 5.3 years of endurance training experience, with a training volume of 296 ± 184 min per week during the 6 months prior to recruitment. The calculation of the sample size suggested 21 participants to produce a statistical power of 0.80 with an effect size of 0.75 at a significance level of p < 0.05 (see calculation details here (Peinado et al 2021)). To be included in the study, participants were required to meet the following criteria: (i) healthy adult females between 18 and 40 years of age; (ii) naturally menstruating for the 6 months prior to the study, and during the study, to present with eumenorrheic cycles confirmed by peak luteinizing hormone (LH) and sex hormone concentrations; (iii) no consumption of medication that alters vascular function (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants, α-blockers, β-blockers, etc.)…”