Influence of menstrual- and hormonal contraceptive cycle on self-reported symptom severity and recovery measures across an annual season in female endurance athletes: The FENDURA project

Tina P. Engseth; John O. Osborne; Guro S. Solli; Bente Morseth; Erik P. Andersson; Virginia De Martin Topranin; Madison Taylor; Dionne A. Noordhof; Oyvind Sandbakk; Boye Welde

doi:10.1080/02640414.2024.2434347

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Influence of menstrual- and hormonal contraceptive cycle on self-reported symptom severity and recovery measures across an annual season in female endurance athletes: The FENDURA project

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Influence of menstrual- and hormonal contraceptive cycle on self-reported symptom severity and recovery measures across an annual season in female endurance athletes: The FENDURA project

Tina P. Engseth, John O. Osborne, Guro S. Solli, Bente Morseth, Erik P. Andersson, Virginia De Martin Topranin, Madison Taylor, Dionne A. Noordhof, Oyvind Sandbakk and Boye Welde

Journal of Sports Sciences, Vol.43(2), pp.151-161

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2024.2434347

PMID: 39639446

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Abstract

menstruation

withdrawal bleeding

premenstrual

sleep quality

readiness to train

resting heart rate

This longitudinal study investigated 1) differences in self-reported cycle-related symptom severity and recovery measures (sleep quality, readiness to train, resting heart rate) between pre-bleeding, bleeding, and non-bleeding days in athletes using/not using hormonal contraception (HC); 2) associations between symptom severity and recovery measures. Fifty-eight female endurance athletes recorded recovery measures, perceived symptom severity, and menstruation/withdrawal (bleeding) days for one year. Athletes were grouped as: intrauterine system (IUS)-, implant-, progestin-only oral contraceptive (POC)-, combined oral contraceptive (COC)- and non-HC users. All groups reported higher symptom severity during bleeding compared to pre-bleeding and non-bleeding days (both p < .001), while implant users reported less severe symptoms than IUS (p < .001) and non-HC users (p = .008). Perceived sleep quality was lower during pre-bleeding compared to bleeding days (p < .001) for all groups. However, IUS users reported higher sleep quality (p = .039) and physical readiness-to-train (p = .010) than non-HC users. Symptom severity was negatively associated with sleep quality and physical readiness-to-train (both p < .050). Pre-bleeding days and cycle-related symptom severity were found to negatively influence self-reported recovery measures in both HC- and non-HC users. Therefore, athletes and their support staff are advised to prioritize symptom management and the adjustment of recovery strategies on an individual basis throughout the athletes' cycles.

Details

Title: Influence of menstrual- and hormonal contraceptive cycle on self-reported symptom severity and recovery measures across an annual season in female endurance athletes: The FENDURA project
Authors: Tina P. Engseth (Corresponding Author) - UiT The Arctic University of Norway
John O. Osborne - UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Guro S. Solli - UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Bente Morseth - UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Erik P. Andersson - UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Virginia De Martin Topranin - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Madison Taylor - UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Dionne A. Noordhof - Norwegian University of Science and Technology
Oyvind Sandbakk - UiT The Arctic University of Norway
Boye Welde - Norwegian Institute of Public Health
Publication details: Journal of Sports Sciences, Vol.43(2), pp.151-161
Publisher: Routledge
Date published: 2025
DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2024.2434347
ISSN: 1466-447X; 0264-0414
PMID: 39639446
Copyright note: © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
Data Availability: The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy concerns, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request
Grant note: This study was funded by the Tromsø Research Foundation (Project-ID: 19_FENDURA_BW) and UiT The Arctic University of Norway.
Organisation Unit: School of Health
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991110045302621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Sport Sciences