Patterns of endogenous and exogenous ovarian hormone modulation on recovery metrics across the menstrual cycle

IntroductionAs the number of female athletes competing rises globally, training methodologies should reflect sex differences across critical metrics of adaptation to training. Surrogate markers of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) used for monitoring training load are heart rate variability (HRV) and resting heart rate (RHR). The aim was to investigate ovarian hormone effects on standard recovery metrics (HRV, RHR, respiratory rate (RR) and sleep duration) across a large population of female athletes.MethodsA retrospective study analysed 362 852 days of data representing 13 535 menstrual cycles (MC) from 4594 respondents (natural MC n=3870, BC n=455, progestin-only n=269) for relationships and/or differences between endogenous and exogenous ovarian hormones on ANS.ResultsHRV and return to baseline (recovery) decreased as resting HR and RR increased (pConclusionThe patterning of ANS modulation from ovarian hormones is significantly different between naturally cycling women and those on BC, with the patterning dependent on the type of contraception used.