Physical activity and combined hormonal contraception: association with female students’ perception of menstrual symptoms

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the association between physical activity (PA) and combined hormonal contraceptive (CHC) on female students’ self perceptio of their menstrual cycle symptoms.Methods: Healthy French female students (n = 834) completed an online questionnaire to assess their PA level (Group 1: non-active; Group 2: moderate physical activity; Group 3: high physical activity; Group 4: very high physical activity), menstrual status or contraception use, self-reported diet and medication, impact on engagement in some social activities, and self-assessment of perceived mental and physical symptoms during the week prior to menses (PM) for students with a normal menstrual cycle (NMC), and the week of menses (ME) for normal menstrual cycle students and those using combined hormonal contraception.Results: Whatever the conditions (PM and ME, NMC and CHC), fewer self-perceived symptoms and self-reported alteration in fat intake were reported by the students in Group 4, and more analgesic and anti-inflammatory medication use was reported by Group 1. Fewer self-perceived symptoms were also found in CHC vs NMC female students for all physical activity levels, but in a more marked way when associated with very high physical activity. In addition, less university and sports practice absenteeism was observed with high and very high physical activity.Conclusion: In conclusion, the perception of menstrual cycle symptoms was lower with very high physical activity, as with combined hormonal contraception. Moreover, female students training more than 5 h/week also reported less university absenteeism and impairment in physical activities. Further studies are necessary to establish the causal link of physical activity and combined hormonal contraception on menstrual symptoms.

Influence of menstrual pain and symptoms on activities of daily living and work absenteeism: a cross-sectional study

“…In our study, the women who resorted to condoms as contraceptive methods had to resort more to sick leaves than those using hormonal methods. This is also in line with the result which indicates that the youngest women are the ones with the most menstrual symptoms, both pain and abundant bleeding; in addition, it is the contraceptive method most frequently used in this age group as well [ 14 , 20 ]. In turn, this leads them to having to resort to work absences and/or to request sick leaves more frequently.…”

“…In this research, menstrual pain has been related to the use of contraceptive methods, noticing that the highest painful menses rates are found among those women who resort to condoms as a contraceptive method. In other studies, it has been already shown that using contraceptive methods can reduce menstrual pain and improve women’s quality of life [ 9 , 10 , 19 ], although we should also acknowledge that dysmenorrhea can be the result of several factors such as nutrition, physical exercise, stress, sleep [ 20 , 21 ] and even gynaecological problems such as endometriosis [ 7 , 11 , 22 ]. Therefore, it would be interesting to analyse it considering all these factors that have been described.…”

Examining the coach–athlete relationship for facilitators and barriers to healthy sport participation for cyclically menstruating athletes: A systematic review

“…First, there was a tendency among athletes and coaches to prioritise sport training and performance above their health and well-being, with athletes ignoring pain and discomfort due to menstrual symptoms unless they were found to impact performance. 24,28,31,34,37,42,45,47 Given that complete rest and light-intensity physical activity are commonly-employed methods for coping with dysmenorrhea and other menstrual symptoms, 56,57 it was worrying that coaches, as well, were hesitant to modify training sessions or allow athletes breaks from training in response to their menstrual symptoms. 30,39,40 While non-elite and recreational athletes were more likely to miss or adapt training sessions, 30,31,48 the tendency among elite athletes to continue training and competing, despite facing menstruation-relation pain and discomfort, 28,32 pointed to the potential health risks imposed by the performance-oriented and results-driven nature of elite sporting environments.…”

Physical Activity in Women with Endometriosis: Less or More Compared with a Healthy Control?

“…Therefore, PA was corrected for hormonal contraceptive use in this study, and women with endometriosis still had lower PA. Hormonal contraceptives are frequently prescribed to manage symptoms of endometriosis, such as pain and heavy menstrual bleeding. However, studies have suggested that hormonal contraceptives can affect energy levels and motivation for PA, and further investigation is warranted to understand the impact of hormonal contraceptives on PA levels in women with endometriosis [28][29][30].…”