Author(s): NAGORNA, V., MYTKO, A., Institution: SWISS FEDERAL INSTITUTE OF SPORT MAGGLINGEN, Country: SWITZERLAND, Abstract-ID: 2804

INTRODUCTION:
Hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle affect strength, endurance, coordination, and recovery, leading to distinct performance patterns in physically active women. Despite growing awareness of these differences, the practical use of menstrual cycle-informed training remains limited, largely due to the lack of simple, reliable, and field-ready hormonal monitoring tools. Addressing this issue requires examining both the scientific evidence and the real-world practicality of current monitoring methods.
METHODS:
The meta-analysis, following PRISMA guidelines, synthesized current invasive and non-invasive hormonal assessment techniques relevant to sports. An expert survey involving 20 sports scientists and national team coaches identified contemporary challenges in training elite female athletes, with agreement assessed using Kendall's W. The three-month field experiment was conducted with 25 elite female basketball players, who completed daily performance tests measuring acceleration, agility, vertical jump, endurance, and technical skills. Athletes also used low-cost, non-invasive hormonal monitoring methods, including basal body temperature tracking and salivary estrogen crystallization. Statistical analyses included Shapiro-Wilk tests, repeated-measures ANOVA with Bonferroni corrections, and Spearman correlations.
RESULTS:
Metal analysis confirmed that no validated, practical point-of-care method currently allows accurate and convenient monitoring of estrogen and progesterone for sports use. Experts expressed strong consensus that the main barriers to implementing menstrual cycle-based training are the lack of simple monitoring tools and the difficulty of customizing training in team settings. In the field study, both basal temperature tracking and the fern test exhibited limited accuracy and poor usability, even in controlled professional environments. Performance varied somewhat across menstrual cycle phases, with better acceleration, jumping, and agility during the late follicular and ovulatory phases, and poorer performance during menstruation and the late luteal phase. Significant individual differences suggest that general training guidelines are inadequate.
CONCLUSION:
This study shows that although hormonal fluctuations significantly affect performance, existing non-invasive monitoring tools are not yet sufficiently reliable for everyday use in high-performance sports. The results underscore the urgent need for accessible, precise, and scalable technologies to assess hormones in real time. Creating such tools would support the development of evidence-based, gender-specific training strategies and promote the health, performance, and long-term well-being of physically active women. Addressing these gaps can help sports science foster more equitable and effective training environments for female athletes.