Physical activity during the follicular phase versus the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle among eumenorrheic females: A Cross-Sectional Study
Abstract
Background: Fluctuations of hormones in the luteal and follicular phases of eumenorrheic women affect their physical activities in various aspects. Studies on these effects in eumenorrheic females, who experience regular menstrual cycles, remain limited. This study evaluates physical activity across these phases, contributing to personalized exercise recommendations and improved health outcomes.
Objective: To measure physical activity during the follicular phase vs the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle in eumenorrheic females.
Methodology: The research was a cross-sectional comparative study that assessed physical activity during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. The study included 40 women who had regular menstrual cycles, aged from 18 to 24. A non-probability purposive sampling technique was used. Physical activity measurement used the short version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF). Data analysis was conducted with SPSS version 26. The study variables were reported using descriptive statistics, including tables, graphs, and percentages.
Results: The comparison of the mean and standard deviation of the follicular phase and luteal phase was done. Studies revealed that participants achieved an average of 1147.98 total METS during the follicular phase with a SD of 14. 12, yet displayed an average total METS of 912.0375 along with an SD of 11.23 during the luteal phase.
Conclusion: The physical activity levels of eumenorrheic females were significantly higher during the follicular phase than during the luteal phase.
Keywords: Eumenorrheic, Follicular phase, Luteal phase, Menstrual cycle, Physical activity
References
Kulshrestha S, Durrani AM. Prevalence of menstrual disorders and their association with physical activity in adolescent girls of Aligarh city. Int J Health Sci Res. 2019;9(8):384-93.
Carmichael MA, Thomson RL, Moran LJ, Wycherley TP. The impact of menstrual cycle phase on athletes’ performance: a narrative review. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2021;18(4):1667.
Borlimi R, Riboli G, Nese M, Buattini M, Colombardo M, Brighetti G. Mind-Body Interactions Across the Menstrual Cycle Phases: A Systematic Review. OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine. 2022;7(2):1-27.
Liu KR, Lew LA, McGarity‐Shipley EC, Byrne AC, Islam H, Fenuta AM, et al. Individual variation of follicular phase changes in endothelial function across two menstrual cycles. Experimental Physiology. 2021;106(6):1389-400.
Abo S, Smith D, Stadt M, Layton A. Modelling female physiology from head to toe: Impact of sex hormones, menstrual cycle, and pregnancy. Journal of Theoretical Biology. 2022;540:111074.
Idoko LO, Okafor KC, Ayegba VO, Bala S, Evuka VB. Knowledge and practice of menstrual health and hygiene among young people in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2022;12(4):292-308.
MacGregor KA, Gallagher IJ, Moran CN. The relationship between insulin sensitivity and the menstrual cycle is modified by BMI, fitness, and physical activity in NHANES. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2021;106(10):2979-90.
Klusmann H, Schulze L, Engel S, Bücklein E, Daehn D, Lozza-Fiacco S, et al. HPA axis activity across the menstrual cycle: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology. 2022;66:100998.
Kamemoto K, Yamada M, Matsuda T, Ogata H, Ishikawa A, Kanno M, et al. Effects of menstrual cycle on appetite-regulating hormones and energy intake in response to cycling exercise in physically active women. Journal of Applied Physiology. 2022.
Asarian L, Geary N. Sex differences in the physiology of eating. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology. 2013;305(11):R1215-R67.
Yadav TS, Pandey G. Impact of Menstrual Cycle Phases on the Selected Physiological Parameters and Skill-Related Components. Indian Journal of Physical Therapy and Research. 2022;4(2):109-13.
Huang W-C, Chiu PC, Ho CH. The sprint-interval exercise using a spinning bike improves physical fitness and ameliorates primary dysmenorrhea symptoms through hormone and inflammation modulations: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. 2022;21(4):595.
Köse B. Analysis of the Effect of Menstrual Cycle Phases on Aerobic-Anaerobic Capacity and Muscle Strength. Journal of Education and Training Studies. 2018;6(8):23-8.
Pisapia F, Senatore B, Fattore S. Correlation between menstrual cycle and performance. Journal of physical education and sport. 2019;19:1972-5.
Kissow J, Jacobsen KJ, Gunnarsson TP, Jessen S, Hostrup M. Effects of follicular and luteal phase-based menstrual cycle resistance training on muscle strength and mass. Sports Medicine. 2022;52(12):2813-9.
Lago-Fuentes C, Padrón-Cabo A, Fernández-Villarino M, Mecías-Calvo M, Muñoz-Pérez I, García-Pinillos F, et al. The follicular phase of the menstrual cycle is related to a higher tendency to suffer from severe injuries among elite female futsal players. Physical therapy in sport. 2021;52:90-6.
Igonin P-H, Rogowski I, Boisseau N, Martin C. Impact of the menstrual cycle phases on the movement patterns of sub-elite women soccer players during competitive matches. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022;19(8):4465.
Shrestha R, Yadav BP, Shrestha E, Manna S. Effect of Different Phases of Menstrual Cycle on Cardio-Respiratory Efficiency in Normal, Overweight, and Obese Female Undergraduate Students: An Original Research. Indian Journal Of Basic and Applied Medical Research. 2021;10(4):228-35.
Schmalenberger KM, Eisenlohr-Moul TA, Jarczok MN, Eckstein M, Schneider E, Brenner IG, et al. Menstrual cycle changes in vagally-mediated heart rate variability are associated with progesterone: evidence from two within-person studies. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2020;9(3):617.
de Jonge XAJ. Effects of the menstrual cycle on exercise performance. Sports medicine. 2003;33:833-51.
Mihm M, Gangooly S, Muttukrishna S. The normal menstrual cycle in women. Animal reproduction science. 2011;124(3-4):229-36.
Oğul A, Ercan S, Ergan M, Parpucu Tİ, Çetin C. The effect of menstrual cycle phase on multiple performance test parameters. Spor Hekimliği Dergisi. 2021;56(4):159-65.
Nabo J, Conceição A, Parraca JA, Tomas-Carus P, Batalha N. Comparison of cardiorespiratory resistance in different menstrual cycle phases in female futsal players. Apunts Sports Medicine. 2021;56(209):100341.
Innocent M, Donné A, Marc B, God L, Ghislain A. Influence of the Menstrual Cycle on the Performance of Different Physical Tests Specific to Handball. Int J Sports Exerc Med. 2022;8:234.
McNulty KL, Elliott-Sale KJ, Dolan E, Swinton PA, Ansdell P, Goodall S, et al. The effects of menstrual cycle phase on exercise performance in eumenorrheic women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sports medicine. 2020;50:1813-27.
Xiping L, Xiaqiu W, Lirong B, Jin P, Ka-Kit H. Menstrual cycle characteristics as an indicator of fertility outcomes: evidence from a prospective birth cohort study in China. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine. 2021;42(2):272.
Bruinvels G, Hackney AC, Pedlar CR. Menstrual cycle: the importance of both the phases and the transitions between phases on training and performance. Sports Medicine. 2022;52(7):1457-60.
Chen CY, Kawabe R, Morino S, Nagai-Tanima M, Aoyama T, Mukaiyama K, et al. The Relationship Between Physical Activity and Premenstrual Syndrome in Female College Students. 2022.
Kroll-Desrosiers AR, Ronnenberg AG, Zagarins SE, Houghton SC, Takashima-Uebelhoer BB, Bertone-Johnson ER. Recreational physical activity and premenstrual syndrome in young adult women: a cross-sectional study. PloS one. 2017;12(1):e0169728.
Lee PH, Macfarlane DJ, Lam TH, Stewart SM. Validity of the international physical activity questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF): A systematic review. International journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity. 2011;8:1-11.
Borkar K, Borkar P. Analysis of physical performance during the follicular phase vs the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle in eumenorrheic and young women. Age. 2022;21(0.79).
Kolić PV, Sims DT, Hicks K, Thomas L, Morse CI. Physical activity and the menstrual cycle: A mixed-methods study of women’s experiences. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal. 2021;29(1):47-58.
Lee PH, Macfarlane DJ, Lam TH, Stewart SM. Validity of the international physical activity questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF): A systematic review. International journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity. 2011;8(1):115.
Kami AT, Vidigal CB, Macedo CdSG. Influence of menstrual cycle phases in functional performance of healthy and young women. Fisioterapia e Pesquisa. 2017;24:356-62.
Szpak A. Influence of moderate physical activity, including physical activity during menstruation, on the course of the menstrual cycle among nullipara—an attempt to evaluate. Health Promotion & Physical Activity. 2021;16(3):1-6.
Yazar S. The effect of menstrual cycle phase on exercise capacity measured by treadmill exercise test. Turkish Journal of Sport and Exercise. 2015;17(1):12-5.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 All Articles are made available under a Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International" license. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). Copyrights on any open access article published by Journal Riphah college of Rehabilitation Science (JRCRS) are retained by the author(s). Authors retain the rights of free downloading/unlimited e-print of full text and sharing/disseminating the article without any restriction, by any means; provided the article is correctly cited. JRCRS does not allow commercial use of the articles published. All articles published represent the view of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of JRCRS.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
