Menstruation’s Impact on Athletic Performance Defies Expectations

New research suggests that female athletes actually have quicker reaction times and make fewer mistakes during their periods, despite perceiving a decline in their performance compared to other phases of their menstrual cycle.

Researchers at University College London studied over 200 athletes to explore why female athletes experience higher injury rates compared to males. As women’s sports have surged in popularity, so have their injuries, sparking debates over the reasons behind this trend.

Hormonal differences are a clear distinction between those with menstrual cycles and those without or using hormonal contraception. The effects of these hormonal fluctuations across the menstrual cycle on brain function and athletic performance are not well understood.

However, existing research suggests potential changes in brain function that might impact performance or increase injury susceptibility.

Sports Scientists Lag Behind Neuroscientists in Examining Hormonal Impact on Athletes’ Brains and Injury Risks

While neuroscientists have shown interest in these brain changes, sports scientists have seldom investigated how hormonal fluctuations affect the brain function of athletes and their injury risks.

Sports scientist Flaminia Ronca and colleagues note that changes in spatial cognition during the menstrual cycle could theoretically contribute to injury risk, especially in sports requiring precise timing and interaction with moving objects.

Female athletes often report feeling clumsier around ovulation and experiencing performance dips during the luteal phase and menstruation. However, studies on these effects have been inconclusive, with some findings suggesting strength peaks around ovulation and endurance declines during menstruation.

Focus on Female Biomechanics

Sports scientists have also concentrated on the biomechanics of the female body to explain higher injury rates, particularly anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. Differences in technique, training, and hormonal influences are considered contributing factors.

Hormonal changes might loosen ligaments and tendons, leading to more injuries at specific times, but this does not account for other injury types, such as concussions and muscle strains, that also increase during certain menstrual phases.

Ronca and colleagues conducted a study with 241 participants, comprising 96 male athletes, 105 menstruating female athletes, and 47 athletes using contraception. They underwent a series of online cognitive tests, spaced two weeks apart, designed to replicate the rapid thinking, quick reactions, spatial processing, and intense focus required during sports.

Reliance on Self-Reported Menstrual Phases Hinders Assessment of Cognitive Performance Variability

The study couldn’t account for individual variations in cognitive performance across different menstrual cycle phases and depended on menstruating participants to report their current cycle phase on test days (two-thirds used a period-tracking app).

Overall, menstruating female athletes showed lower cognitive performance in the late follicular phase, approaching ovulation, and in the late luteal phase, just before menstruation.

Yet, they achieved peak cognitive performance during menstruation, even though they felt worse and perceived their performance as impaired during this period.

“It’s surprising that performance was better during their period, challenging the common assumptions held by women and society about abilities at this time of the month,” Ronca told Tobi Thomas of The Guardian.

Since male and female athletes showed no differences in reaction times and accuracy, the researchers now plan to investigate how various types or doses of hormonal contraceptives might influence brain function in athletes or potentially reduce injury risks, as suggested by some earlier studies.

Read the original article on: Science Alert

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