School of Environmental and Life Sciences, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.
Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012 Nov;44(11):2190-8. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182656f13.
This study investigated the effects of the menstrual cycle on prolonged exercise performance both in temperate (20°C, 45% relative humidity) and hot, humid (32°C, 60% relative humidity) conditions.
For each environmental condition, 12 recreationally active females were tested during the early follicular (day 3-6) and midluteal (day 19-25) phases, verified by measurement of estradiol and progesterone. For all four tests, thermoregulatory, cardiorespiratory, and perceptual responses were measured during 60 min of exercise at 60% of maximal oxygen consumption followed by an incremental test to exhaustion.
No differences in exercise performance between menstrual cycle phases were found during temperate conditions (n = 8) despite a higher resting and submaximal exercise core temperature (Tc) in the luteal phase. In hot, humid conditions (n = 8), however, prolonged exercise performance, as exercise time to fatigue, was significantly reduced during the luteal phase. This finding was not only accompanied by higher resting and submaximal exercise Tc but also a higher rate of increase in Tc during the luteal phase. Furthermore, submaximal exercise HR, minute ventilation, and RPE measures were higher during the luteal phase in hot, humid conditions. No significant differences were found over the menstrual cycle in heat loss responses (partitional calorimetry, sweat rate, upper arm sweat composition) and Tc at exhaustion.
In temperate conditions, no changes in prolonged exercise performance were found over the menstrual cycle, whereas in hot, humid conditions, performance was decreased during the luteal phase. The combination of both exercise and heat stress with the elevated luteal phase Tc at the onset of exercise resulted in physiological and perceptual changes and a greater thermosensitivity, which may explain the decrease in performance.
本研究调查了月经周期对在温带（20°C，45%相对湿度）和炎热、潮湿（32°C，60%相对湿度）环境下长时间运动表现的影响。
对于每种环境条件，12 名有规律运动的女性在卵泡早期（第 3-6 天）和黄体中期（第 19-25 天）进行测试，通过测量雌二醇和孕酮来验证。对于所有四项测试，在 60%最大摄氧量下运动 60 分钟期间测量热调节、心肺和感知反应，然后进行递增至力竭测试。
在温带条件下（n = 8），尽管黄体期静息和亚最大运动核心温度（Tc）较高，但在月经周期各阶段的运动表现没有差异。然而，在炎热、潮湿的条件下（n = 8），黄体期的长时间运动表现，即疲劳时的运动时间，显著缩短。这一发现不仅伴随着静息和亚最大运动 Tc 较高，而且黄体期 Tc 的上升率也较高。此外，在炎热、潮湿条件下，黄体期的亚最大运动 HR、分钟通气量和 RPE 测量值较高。在月经周期内，热损失反应（分区热量测定、出汗率、上臂汗液成分）和力竭时的 Tc 没有显著差异。
在温带条件下，月经周期内长时间运动表现没有变化，而在炎热、潮湿条件下，黄体期运动表现下降。运动和热应激的结合以及运动开始时黄体期 Tc 的升高导致了生理和感知变化以及更高的热敏性，这可能解释了运动表现的下降。
