Influence of the Menstrual Cycle on Blood Markers of Muscle Damage and Inflammation Following Eccentric Exercise

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the menstrual cycle and its underlying hormonal fluctuations affect muscle damage and inflammation in well-trained females following an eccentric exercise. Nineteen eumenorrheic women performed an eccentric squat-based exercise in the early follicular phase, late follicular phase and mid-luteal phase of their menstrual cycle. Sex hormones and blood markers of muscle damage and inflammation –creatine kinase, myoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase, interleukin-6, tumoral necrosis factor-α, and C reactive protein– were analyzed in each phase. No effect of menstrual cycle phase was observed (p > 0.05), while an interaction for interleukin-6 was shown (p = 0.047). Accordingly, a moderate effect size [0.68 (0.53)–0.84 (0.74)], indicated that interleukin-6 values 2 h post-trial (2.07 ± 1.26 pg/mL) were likely to be higher than baseline (1.59 ± 0.33 pg/mL), 24 h (1.50 ± 0.01 pg/mL) and 48 h (1.54 ± 0.13 pg/mL) in the mid-luteal phase. Blood markers of muscle damage and inflammation were not affected by the menstrual cycle in well-trained women. The eccentric exercise barely triggered muscle damage and hence, no inflammation was observed, possibly due to participants training status. The mid-luteal phase was the only phase reflecting a possible inflammatory response in terms of interleukin-6, although further factors than sex hormones seem to be responsible for this finding.

Menstrual Cycle Phases Influence on Cardiorespiratory Response to Exercise in Endurance-Trained Females

“…Finally, serum sex hormones (LH, FSH, E2 and progesterone) were measured in each of the menstrual cycle phases selected for the study. Minimum progesterone was set at 16 nmol•L −1 in the MLP as a reliable indicator of an ovulatory non luteal phase-deficient cycle [13,22,23].…”

The Specificities of Elite Female Athletes: A Multidisciplinary Approach

“…Both worse [ 390 ] and better [ 391 ] running economies in L vs. F have been reported. In the same way, data on blood markers of muscle damage and inflammation [creatine kinase (CK), myoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), and CRP are discrepant in well-trained women, with [ 350 ] or without [ 392 , 393 ] an impact of MC phase, with higher concentrations of pro-inflammatory interleukins in PMS vs. non-PMS women [ 45 ]. Only few studies investigated the variations in immunity in trained NMC female runners without respiratory disorders and reported no significant change across MC [ 293 , 394 ].…”

Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage in Postmenopausal Well-Trained Women

“…These eumenorrheic participants were analyzed earlier to observe the muscle damage response between menstrual cycle phases. 26,27 Further exclusion criteria included (1) the use of any hormonal contraception or HRT in the 6 months preceding the study, (2) any pregnancies in the year preceding the study, (3) any existing disease and/or metabolic or hormonal disorder, (4) any musculoskeletal injury in the past 6 months, (5) any surgery interventions (ie, ovariectomy) or other medical conditions that would be exacerbated by an eccentric resistance exercise protocol, (6) the regular use of medication or dietary supplements that could affect the results, and (7) smoking. A written informed consent was obtained from each participant.…”