Effects of high-intensity interval training and strength training on levels of testosterone and physical activity among women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract

ObjectivePolycystic ovary syndrome is a diverse endocrine disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism and ovulatory dysfunction. Hyperandrogenism affects body morphology, resulting in excess weight (overweight or obesity). This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of high-intensity interval training on serum testosterone levels, body fat percentage, and level of physical activity among women with polycystic ovary syndrome.MethodsFifty participants were enrolled in the study and randomly allocated into two groups. Group A performed highintensity interval training on alternate days per week (total of 12 weeks) and group B performed strength training on alternate days per week (total of 12 weeks). Baseline and 12th-week assessments included serum testosterone levels, body fat percentage using the skinfold method, and level of physical activity assessed using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.ResultsAfter 12 weeks of intervention, both groups showed significant improvements in all the outcomes. However, group A (high intensity interval training) showed statistically significant results compared to group B (strength training) in lowering serum testosterone levels (P=0.049) and body fat percentage (P=0.001) and increasing physical activity levels (P=0.006).ConclusionAfter 12 weeks of exercise, both exercises benefited the participants; however, high-intensity interval training specifically was found to be a more effective exercise regimen than strength training in reducing serum testosterone levels and body fat percentage and enhancing levels of physical activity in women with polycystic ovary syndrome.

Time to Load Up–Resistance Training Can Improve the Health of Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Scoping Review

“…Indeed, four of those seven cite the same institutional ethical approval reference [ 43 , 44 , 46 , 47 ], whereas, despite small differences in sample characteristics, the other three utilise the same methodology and it is assumed they are from one trial; whilst the authors did provide one full-text document, clarification requests to the authors were unsuccessful. The remaining five eligible papers all relate to individual RCTs [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 49 , 50 ].…”

“…Three of the included studies were conducted in Asia (Iran [ 25 , 50 ] and Pakistan [ 49 ]), whilst there was one study each conducted in Australia [ 26 ], Norway [ 24 ], and Brazil [ 48 ]. Two of the included trials were published in 2015 [ 24 , 48 ], two were published in 2016 [ 25 , 26 ], and one each from 2019 [ 50 ] and 2022 [ 49 ]. Despite variation in geographical location, all included trials used the Rotterdam PCOS criteria [ 3 ] to diagnose their participants and determine eligibility.…”

“…Despite variation in geographical location, all included trials used the Rotterdam PCOS criteria [ 3 ] to diagnose their participants and determine eligibility. The mean age of included participants ranged from 27 ± 5 [ 26 ] to 31.12 ± 2.42 years [ 50 ], whilst BMI ranged from 25.3 ± 1.96 [ 49 ] to 37.8 ± 11.4 kg/m 2 [ 26 ], meaning that participants in all eligible studies were either overweight or obese. Participant characteristics are reported in Table 3 .…”

“…All included studies incorporated a pre to post design to assess the effectiveness of a resistance training intervention in women with PCOS. Five studies [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 49 , 50 ] recruited only women with PCOS who were then randomised into an intervention or comparator group. In the remaining study [ 48 ], women with PCOS were compared to healthy controls and all participants received the intervention.…”

“…In the remaining study [ 48 ], women with PCOS were compared to healthy controls and all participants received the intervention. The length of the applied intervention in the included studies ranged from 8 to 16 weeks (two trials [ 25 , 50 ] used eight weeks, two used 12 weeks [ 26 , 49 ] and one each used ten [ 24 ] or 16 weeks [ 48 ]). Regarding the applied training frequency, Vizza and colleagues [ 26 ] asked participants to exercise four times per week (two supervised and two home-based), whilst all other studies had a modal training frequency of three times per week (all supervised).…”