Hormonal changes in strength training during the menstrual cycle: a systematic review

Introduction: During the menstrual cycle, women are exposed to continual variations in serum concentrations of various female sex steroid hormones. The fluctuations of the main female hormones, estrogen, progesterone, follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone, are essential for regulating ovulatory cycle patterns. In this sense, it is speculated that strength training can stimulate the signaling pathways of essential hormones to regulate the patterns in the different phases of the ovulatory cycle. Objective: To analyze hormonal changes and strength performance in different phases of the menstrual cycle in experienced women undergoing strength training. Methods: A systematic review was carried out following the PRISMA recommendations. The terms “Strength Training”, “Resistance Exercise” and “Menstrual Cycle” were searched in Medline (PubMed), Virtual Health Library (VHL) and ScienceDirect databases. Experimental studies that evaluated hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle in strength training in women trained in resistance exercise were included. Results: From a total of 592 documents, six studies met the inclusion criteria. Interventions in the included studies ranged from 2 to 140 days. The protocols demonstrated that the intervention with strength training provides changes in the hormones progesterone, testosterone, estradiol and ammonia in the follicular and luteal phase. Conclusion: The studies investigated in this review demonstrated that Strength Training induced hormonal and strength increases, in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle, in women experienced in strength training.