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

Abstract

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.

Menstrual Cycle Effects on Perceived Exertion and Pain During Exercise Among Sedentary Women

“…Furthermore, evidence has shown that aspects of physiological response to exercise, such as thermoregulation, ventilation, and cardiovascular strain, are influenced by hormonal fluctuations across the cycle. [9][10][11][12] These fluctuations may also be associated with differences in psychological or subjective responses to physical activity (e.g., perceived exertion and pain) across the cycle. From a health promotion perspective, a more positive psychological response to exercise is an important proximate mechanism that can lead to the initiation and maintenance of exercise.…”

“…21 Thus, they may not experience the same physiological or psychological responses to exercise as those who are new to physical activity. For example, Schoene et al 12 found that both trained and untrained women had increased respiratory drive in the midluteal compared to midfollicular phase, but this increase was significantly greater in untrained women. Untrained women also had significantly better exercise performance in the midfollicular phase compared to the midluteal phase, with no differences in performance between menstrual phases in eumenorrheic athletes.…”

Influence of menstrual phase on ventilatory response to submaximal exercise

“…A number of studies have observed an increase in the ventilatory equivalent (the ratio of VE to VO2) or a decrease in the end tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide during incremental exercise to exhaustion in the luteal phase versus the follicular phase or with MPA supplementation in males versus control condition. 4,6,9,11,12 However, others have found no difference in VE during maximal 3,10 or submaximal exercise. 2,5,8,9 Beidleman et al viewed a progesterone-induced increase in VE to be a potential benefit for athletes when exercising at altitude by possibly causing an increase in oxygen delivery to muscle.…”

“…1 In addition, progesterone increases chemosensitivity, as noted by an increase in the ventilatory response to hypoxia and hypercapnia during the luteal phase compared with the follicular phase 6,11 or in men treated with medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). 4 However, this is not consistently reported, as a recent study did not find an increase in chemosensitivty in the mid-luteal (ML) phase compared with the early follicular (EF) phase.…”

“…2 Furthermore, an increase in body temperature is also known to elevate VE and thus the elevated body temperature associated with the luteal phase may also contribute to the observed hyperventilation. 11 The effect of elevated progesterone levels on VE during exercise remains equivocal. A number of studies have observed an increase in the ventilatory equivalent (the ratio of VE to VO2) or a decrease in the end tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide during incremental exercise to exhaustion in the luteal phase versus the follicular phase or with MPA supplementation in males versus control condition.…”