---
title: Do muscles get tired at different times during the menstrual cycle?
description: Yes. Muscles take much longer to get tired around ovulation than at other times of the cycle, showing that menstrual hormones affect muscle strength.
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/assessment-of-onset-of-the-duration-of-fatigue-in-muscle-using-surface-2019/
---

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- Do muscles get tired at different times during the menstrual cycle?

Study, 2019

# Do muscles get tired at different times during the menstrual cycle?

Yes. Muscles take much longer to get tired around ovulation than at other times of the cycle, showing that menstrual hormones affect muscle strength.

 Moderate study design

50 healthy women aged 18 to 25 years

## What they did

Researchers tested 50 healthy women aged 18 to 25. They measured how long arm muscles took to get tired at four different times of the menstrual cycle over 3 consecutive months using a sensor on the biceps.

## What they found

Muscles took longest to get tired during the phase around ovulation when estrogen peaks, with fatigue starting at 71.68 seconds on average. Fatigue came much earlier at the beginning of the cycle at 37.58 seconds and at the end at 42.02 seconds. The difference between phases was clear and consistent across all three months.

## What it means for you

Hormones affect how quickly muscles tire. Muscle performance is best around ovulation when estrogen is highest. Women might want to time intense exercise for when muscles are strongest. The study included only healthy young women, so results may not apply to all women or to women with other health conditions.

71.68 seconds

muscle fatigue onset around ovulation

37.58 seconds

muscle fatigue onset at start of cycle

3 months

duration of testing

## About the study

Original title Assessment of onset of the duration of fatigue in muscle using surface electromyography on women during the different phases of menstrual cycle Authors A Deepali, Ayesha Juhi Journal National Journal of Physiology Pharmacy and Pharmacology Year 2019 Study design Study What was tested None (observational study measuring natural cycle changes) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.5455/njppp.2019.9.0518821052019](https://doi.org/10.5455/njppp.2019.9.0518821052019)

## Topics

[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Fatigue and energy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-fatigue/)

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