Menstrual Cycle and Women's Performance

The Relationship Between the Menstrual Cycle and Physical Performance in Women

This study examines how different phases of the menstrual cycle are associated with selected performance and musculoskeletal parameters in physically active women aged 18-35 years.

Participants will track their menstrual cycle using a mobile app for approximately 2 months and attend 3 laboratory visits scheduled to specific cycle phases.

At each visit, participants will complete non-invasive assessments including lower-limb strength/performance testing, musculoskeletal measurements (muscle and tendon properties), body composition assessment, and symptom-related questionnaires.

The goal is to improve understanding of physiological variability across the menstrual cycle and support evidence-based planning of training, testing, and clinical practice in women.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Healthy Volunteers; Menstrual Cycle; Muscle Strength; Physical Performance; Musculoskeletal System
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Menstrual Cycle Tracking; Other: Performance and Strength Testing; Other: Musculoskeletal Assessment; Other: Body Composition and Symptom Assessment

Detailed Description

Background and rationale:

Female physiology changes across menstrual cycle phases, which may influence neuromuscular performance, perceived symptoms, and selected tissue/mechanical properties. Current evidence is heterogeneous, partly due to methodological differences in cycle-phase identification and measurement protocols. This study aims to provide standardized data from repeated within-subject assessments across the menstrual cycle.

Objectives:

Primary objective is to evaluate associations between menstrual cycle phase and selected performance-related outcomes in physically active women.

Secondary objectives are to explore phase-related differences in musculoskeletal parameters, body composition outputs, and self-reported symptoms.

Study design:

Prospective, repeated-measures observational study. Each participant is measured repeatedly across predefined menstrual cycle phases.

Participants:

Women from the general population, 18-35 years, with occasional to recreational physical activity level.

Procedures:

Screening and eligibility confirmation according to protocol criteria.

Menstrual cycle tracking via mobile application for approximately 2 months.

Three laboratory visits timed to predefined cycle phases.

At each visit, non-invasive assessments are performed, including:

lower-limb strength/performance testing,

assessment of muscle and tendon mechanical properties,

body composition measurement,

recording of subjectively perceived menstrual-related symptoms.

Outcomes:

Main outcomes include phase-specific differences/associations in selected performance and musculoskeletal variables; additional outcomes include symptom profiles and selected body-composition variables.

Duration and setting:

Individual participation lasts approximately 2 months including cycle tracking and 3 lab visits (approximately 60-90 minutes per visit). Study procedures are conducted at FTVS UK (Prague).

Ethics and data protection:

Participation is voluntary, and participants may withdraw at any time without giving a reason. Data are processed in compliance with applicable data-protection regulations (including GDPR), pseudonymized for analysis, and reported in aggregate/anonymized form. The study is conducted according to institutional ethics approval and the Declaration of Helsinki.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 32

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Vendula Soukupová, Mgr.; Phone Number: +420775976312; Email: vendula.soukupova@ftvs.cuni.cz

Study Locations

• Czechia
  • Prague
    • Prague, Prague, Czechia, 16252
      • Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, Charles University, José Martího 269/31
      • Contact: Vendula Soukupová, Mgr.; Phone Number: +420775976312; Email: vendula.soukupova@ftvs.cuni.cz

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Premenopausal women aged 18-35 years from the general population with occasional to recreational physical activity, recruited for repeated within-subject assessments across predefined menstrual cycle phases.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female, age 18-35 years

Premenopausal

Occasional to recreational level of physical activity

Willing and able to track menstrual cycle using a mobile application for approximately 2 months

Willing and able to attend 3 laboratory visits scheduled to predefined menstrual cycle phases

Able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Irregular menstrual cycle (outside protocol-defined regularity)

Current pregnancy

Use of hormonal medication for therapeutic purposes (per protocol)

Current acute illness at time of testing

Musculoskeletal injury of the lower limb limiting safe performance testing

Contraindication to body composition assessment methods used in the study (e.g., BIA/DXA, per site protocol)

Any other condition that, in the investigator's judgment, may interfere with safe participation or data quality

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Physically Active Women (18-35 years); Women aged 18-35 years from the general population with occasional to recreational physical activity level. Participants undergo repeated non-invasive assessments across predefined menstrual cycle phases, including performance testing, musculoskeletal measurements, body composition assessment, and symptom tracking.

Other: Menstrual Cycle Tracking; Menstrual cycle monitoring using a mobile application for approximately 2 months to schedule laboratory visits to predefined cycle phases.; Other: Performance and Strength Testing; Repeated lower-limb performance/strength assessments during laboratory visits in different menstrual cycle phases.; Other: Musculoskeletal Assessment; Non-invasive assessment of selected muscle and tendon mechanical properties across cycle phases.; Other: Body Composition and Symptom Assessment; Body composition measurement and collection of self-reported menstrual-related symptoms at laboratory visits.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Phase-specific change in lower-limb neuromuscular performance across the menstrual cycle	Within-subject differences in lower-limb performance/strength outcomes measured during three laboratory visits scheduled to predefined menstrual cycle phases.	Assessed at 3 laboratory visits across approximately 2 months (cycle tracking period)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Phase-specific differences in muscle mechanical properties	Within-subject changes in selected skeletal muscle mechanical properties measured non-invasively across predefined menstrual cycle phases.	Assessed at 3 laboratory visits across approximately 2 months
Phase-specific differences in tendon mechanical properties	Within-subject changes in selected tendon mechanical properties measured non-invasively across predefined menstrual cycle phases.	Assessed at 3 laboratory visits across approximately 2 months
Phase-specific differences in body composition variables	Within-subject differences in body composition parameters assessed at laboratory visits scheduled to predefined menstrual cycle phases.	Assessed at 3 laboratory visits across approximately 2 months
Menstrual-related symptom profile across menstrual cycle phases	Self-reported menstrual-related symptoms recorded via questionnaires/standardized symptom reporting and compared across predefined cycle phases.	Collected during cycle tracking and at 3 laboratory visits across approximately 2 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Charles University, Czech Republic

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 5, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 10, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 5, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: body composition; observational study; women's health; luteal phase; muscle mechanical properties; follicular phase; female athletes; neuromuscular performance; repeated measures; symptom tracking; menstrual cycle phase; lower limb strength; physically active women; tendon mechanical properties; cycle tracking app
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Physiological Phenomena; Biochemical Phenomena; Chemical Phenomena; Body Constitution; Metabolism; Body Composition
• Other Study ID Numbers: EK 008/2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No