Do Recreationally-Trained Women of Different Ages Perceive Symptoms of the Menstrual Cycle and Adjust Their Training According to Phases?

Abstract

We aimed to investigate the effects of the menstrual cycle (MC) in recreationally trained women athletes, including their perception of training, if age affected their perception of MC symptoms, and if they adjusted their training according to phases of the MC which they would perceive as the best/worst phase to train in. Three hundred- and ten-women amateur athletes with regular MC replied to an online quiz about their perception and the effects of MC on training and how they adjusted training according to their MC. Women were classified into three age groups: 18–25 years-old (n = 108), 26–35 years-old (n = 135), and 36–45 years-old (n = 67). Despite a higher ratio of younger perceived symptoms and the influence of MC phases in training, the group varied their training according to MC phases the least (37%) compared to 26–35 (50%) and 36–45-year-olds (40.2%). Most of athletes perceived the late follicular phase (LF) as the best phase to train in (18–25 = 79.6%; 26–35 = 80.7%; 36–45 = 91%) and the worst phases were early follicular (EF) (54.6%; 58% and 46.2%), and late luteal (LL) (38%; 48% and 47.7%). Regardless of age, most women perceived MC symptoms, and women in the 26–35 group adjusted their training more according to MC phases.