The motor performance and some physical characteristics of the sportswomen and sedentary lifestyle women during menstrual cycle

Abstract

Background and Study Aim: The aim of this study were the effects of the menstrual cycle in sportswomen and sedentary lifestyle women, before menstruation (BM), during menstruation (DM) and after menstruation (AM) cycle, related to their motor performance and some physical characteristics during these three periods. Material/Methods: A total of 60 women, including 30 sportswomen and 30 sedentary women (control group) between the ages of 18-24 years, took voluntary part in the study as subjects. For two months, some motor performance features and the circumferences and skin-fold thickness of some body parts were measured between the 26(th)-28(th) (BM), 1(st)-6(th) (DM), and 7(th)-12(th) (AM) days of the subjects' monthly cycles. The BM, DM and AM measurements of the sportswomen and control groups were analyzed together using repeated measures variance analysis. Results: The menstrual cycle showed differences in some motor performance, especially a significant capacity rise in the dominant hand grip capacity was observed in sportswomen during the AM period. Increased anaerobic capacity was also apparent in the DM and AM periods for the sportswomen group, compared to the BM period. Over the two month measuring span, body weight was the highest in the BM period. Speed of reaction to light decreased significantly in the AM period in sportswomen, and a similar, but not statistically significant, decrease in response to sound was observed. However, these differences did not shed sufficient light on the effects of menstruation on motor performance. Conclusions: The results of this study reveal that some motor performance show differences during the menstruation cycle. There is a significant capacity increase, especially in dominant hand grip capacity, in the AM period. On the other hand, DM and AM periods show a significant increase in anaerobic capacity when compared with BM period.