Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 50, Issue 6 1300-1305, Copyright © 1981 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Respiratory drives and exercise in menstrual cycles of athletic and nonathletic women

R. B. Schoene, H. T. Robertson, D. J. Pierson and A. P. Peterson

To investigate the influence of the midluteal and midfollicular phases of the menstrual cycle on exercise performance and ventilatory drives, we studied six outstanding female athletes, six controls with normal menstrual cycles, and six outstanding athletes who were amenorrheic. In all menstruating subjects resting minute ventilation (Ve) and mouth occlusion pressures (P0.1) were higher in the luteal phase (p less than k0.0001 and p less than 0.02, respectively),. Hypoxic (expressed as the hyperbolic shape parameter A) and hypercapnic (expressed as S, deltaVE/delta PAco2) ventilatory responses were increase in the luteal phase (p less than 0.01). The athletes had lower A values during the luteal phase than the nonathletes (p less than 0.001). Maximal exercise response, expressed either as total exercise time or maximum O2 consumption or CO2 production (VO2 max or Vco2 max) was decreased during the luteal phase but was significantly different at a p less than 0.05 level only among the nonathletes. Ventilatory equivalent (VE/VO2) during progressive exercise on a bicycle ergometer was significantly increased during the luteal phase. The amenorrheic athletes showed no changes between the two test periods. The luteal phase of the menstrual cycle induced increases in ventilatory drives and exercise ventilation in both athletes and controls, but the athletes, in contrast to controls, demonstrated no significant decrease in exercise performance in the luteal phase.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. E Foster, D. C McKenzie, and A. W. Sheel Effects of enhanced human chemosensitivity on ventilatory responses to exercise Exp Physiol, January 1, 2006; 91(1): 221 - 228. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. M. Redman, G. C. Scroop, G. Westlander, and R. J. Norman Effect of a Synthetic Progestin on the Exercise Status of Sedentary Young Women J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., July 1, 2005; 90(7): 3830 - 3837. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. D. Brutsaert, H. Spielvogel, E. Caceres, M. Araoz, R. T. Chatterton, and V. J. Vitzthum Effect of menstrual cycle phase on exercise performance of high-altitude native women at 3600 m J. Exp. Biol., January 15, 2002; 205(2): 233 - 239. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. R. Muza, P. B. Rock, C. S. Fulco, S. Zamudio, B. Braun, A. Cymerman, G. E. Butterfield, and L. G. Moore Women at altitude: ventilatory acclimatization at 4,300 m J Appl Physiol, October 1, 2001; 91(4): 1791 - 1799. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. J. Preston, A. P. Heenan, and L. A. Wolfe Physicochemical analysis of phasic menstrual cycle effects on acid-base balance Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, February 1, 2001; 280(2): R481 - R487. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. A. Beidleman, P. B. Rock, S. R. Muza, C. S. Fulco, V. A. Forte Jr., and A. Cymerman Exercise VE and physical performance at altitude are not affected by menstrual cycle phase J Appl Physiol, May 1, 1999; 86(5): 1519 - 1526. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. Case and R. L. Reid Effects of the Menstrual Cycle on Medical Disorders Arch Intern Med, July 13, 1998; 158(13): 1405 - 1412. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				R. M. Popovic and D. P. White Upper airway muscle activity in normal women: influence of hormonal status J Appl Physiol, March 1, 1998; 84(3): 1055 - 1062. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. De Cree, P. Ball, B. Seidlitz, G. Van Kranenburg, P. Geurten, and H. A. Keizer Plasma 2-hydroxycatecholestrogen responses to acute submaximal and maximal exercise in untrained women J Appl Physiol, January 1, 1997; 82(1): 364 - 370. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]