Studia Kinanthropologica

Studia Kinanthropologica 2024, 25(3):157-162 | DOI: 10.32725/sk.2024.013

Infradian specificities of haematological variation in female athletes

M. Pupiš, H. Burzalová, Z. Pupišová, & K. Bako

Fakulta telesnej výchovy, športu a zdravia, Univerzita Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici, Slovenská republika

The aim of the present research was to define the infradian peculiarities of hematological variation in female athletes. The research was conducted in the form of a case study on four female endurance elite athletes (18-24 years old). Each female athlete underwent 4-5 tests, which were performed on each of them individually according to the phases of the menstrual cycle. The testing was carried out chronologically in the following time sequence: T1 10-8 days before menstruation (hereafter M), T2 4-3 days before M, T3 during M, T4 1-2 days after M, T5 9-10 days after M. All testing was carried out under the same conditions and according to the WADA rules. Collections were performed at 8:00 h ± 30 min fasting. The results demonstrated the fact that there was a significant hormonal response in female athletes who were menstruating and, on the contrary, there was only moderate hormone variability in female athletes who were not menstruating during the study. The results of the research demonstrate that more pronounced hematological variability was noted in female athletes with menstruation. Based on the results, it can be concluded that strict recording of the phase of the menstrual cycle should be considered when assessing the results in the biological passport of female athletes.

Keywords: infradian variation; hemoglobin; reticulocytes; hormones

Received: November 6, 2024; Revised: December 4, 2024; Accepted: December 5, 2024; Published: January 17, 2025  Show citation