Perceptions Of Physically Active Women About Training And Exercise Performance During Pre-menstruation And Menstruation

The menstrual cycle involves cyclic hormonal changes with specific symptoms in each phase, and women's perceptions and feelings throughout their cycle may influence their training. PURPOSE: To evaluate the perception of eumenorrheic women regarding the influence of pre-menstruation and menstruation on exercise performance and training habits. METHODS: An online cross-sectional survey on menstrual cycle perception and contraceptive use was conducted via Google Forms. Participants digitally signed an informed consent form. The study targeted women at various training and competition levels, all of whom engaged in at least 150 minutes of physical exercise per week. Participants responded to questions related to perceived premenstrual phase (PMP) and menstrual phase (MP) symptoms and whether they believed it influenced their exercise performance and training habits using Likert scales. Out of 3845 valid responses, 2299 eumenorrheic women with regular periods completed the survey. The data were analyzed using R Studio. Frequency (n) and prevalence rates (%) were calculated, and chi-square was used to compare the reported impact of PMP and MP on exercise and training. RESULTS: Participants were aged from 18 to 45 years (28 ± 6y), with a reported height and weight of 1.63 ± 0.07 m and 66 ± 13 kg. A substantial proportion of women reported feeling tired during both MP and PMP (81% and 69%, χ2 = 5.41, P = 0.24) with no differences between phases. A larger proportion of participants indicated that their training is more negatively impacted during MP than PMP (75.0% vs. 55.2%, χ2 = 11.24, P = 0.02) and this was attributed to experiencing pain (70%) and cramps (76%) that hindered workouts. Overall, women reported that it is more challenging to train during MP (48% strongly agree and 34% agree), yet the majority continue training despite experiencing discomfort (82%). Fifty-five % of respondents opted to undertake shorter workout sessions during the MP. CONCLUSION: Our research highlights a substantial impact of pre-menstruation and menstruation on women's training experiences. The findings underscore the need for studies evaluating the relationship between women’s perception about their menstrual cycle and physiological and psychological aspects that may influence exercise performance and training.