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.
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
Topics
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