SynthesisJournal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)2023
Menstrual cycle hormones and oral contraceptives: a multimethod systems physiology-based review of their impact on key aspects of female physiology.
Synthesis in Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 53 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
53 citing papers in PubMed, 109 citations in OpenAlex.
- Modulation of prefrontal functional connectivity by tDCS over the left DLPFC predicts performance enhancement in swimmers: a simultaneous tDCS-fNIRS, double-blind, sham-controlled crossover study.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Trial
- Acute effects of ischemic preconditioning on maximal strength and neuromuscular function.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Trial
- Varying Influence of Menstrual Cycle Phase and Hormonal Contraceptive Use on Resistance Exercise-Induced Circulating Extracellular Vesicle and Metabolite Signalling.Journal of extracellular vesicles · 2026Trial
- Histamine-receptor blockade does not influence the heavy-severe domain boundary and time to task failure in the severe domain during cycling exercise in adults.Physiological reports · 2025Trial
- Menstrual cycle phase does not influence muscle protein synthesis or whole-body myofibrillar proteolysis in response to resistance exercise.The Journal of physiology · 2025Trial
- Sex comparisons across different indices of vascular health in recreationally active healthy adults.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
- A Thematic Narrative Review of Osteoarthritis Risk Factors Across the Female Life Course.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- The Effect of Menstrual Cycle Phase, Symptoms, Motivation, and Readiness to Perform on Resistance Training Performance.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Article
- Mental Toughness and 2K Rowing Performance in Division II Female Collegiate Athletes: A Longitudinal Analysis Using Mixed-Effects Modeling.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Higher whole-body and exogenous postprandial glucose oxidation in the luteal versus follicular phase in healthy females.Physiological reports · 2026Article
- Menstrual Cycle Phase Does Not Influence Training-Induced Muscle Hypertrophy or Strength: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Medicine and science in sports and exercise · 2026Article
- An Overarching Conceptual Framework for Menstrual Health in Sport Research: Theory, Causality and Validation.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Menstrual Cycle and Hormonal Contraceptives in Female Athletes: Should Symptoms and Nutrition Matter More than Cycle Phase? A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Sex Differences in Durability Following Heavy Intensity Cycling Exercise in Trained Athletes.Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports · 2026Article
- Breathtaking heights: Lung mechanics and pulmonary extravascular fluid accumulation in female climbers during the K2 expedition.Experimental physiology · 2026Article
- Relationships Between Hematological Variables and Bone Metabolism in Elite Female Trail Runners.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Exercise Timing and its Effects on Eating Behavior, Weight, and Body Composition: A Systematic Scoping Review to Identify Gaps and Inform Future Research.Current nutrition reports · 2026Article
- Day-to-Day Reproducibility of Arterial Stiffness Following a Bout of Resistance Exercise in Healthy Young Females: A Reliability Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Female cyclists perceived effects and experiences of the menstrual cycle on training and performance.PloS one · 2026Article
- The effects of training and sex on cardiac adaptation in elite rowers across a competitive season.European journal of applied physiology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Hormonal changes around ovulation divide the menstrual cycle (MC) into the follicular and luteal phases. In addition, oral contraceptives (OCs) have active (higher hormone) and placebo phases. Although there are some MC-based effects on various physiological outcomes, we found these differences relatively subtle and difficult to attribute to specific hormones, as estrogen and progesterone fluctuate rather than operating in a complete on/off pattern as observed in cellular or preclinical models often used to substantiate human data. A broad review reveals that the differences between the follicular and luteal phases and between OC active and placebo phases are not associated with marked differences in exercise performance and appear unlikely to influence muscular hypertrophy in response to resistance exercise training. A systematic review and meta-analysis of substrate oxidation between MC phases revealed no difference between phases in the relative carbohydrate and fat oxidation at rest and during acute aerobic exercise. Vascular differences between MC phases are also relatively small or nonexistent. Although OCs can vary in composition and androgenicity, we acknowledge that much more work remains to be done in this area; however, based on what little evidence is currently available, we do not find compelling support for the notion that OC use significantly influences exercise performance, substrate oxidation, or hypertrophy. It is important to note that the study of females requires better methodological control in many areas. Previous studies lacking such rigor have contributed to premature or incorrect conclusions regarding the effects of the MC and systemic hormones on outcomes. While we acknowledge that the evidence in certain research areas is limited, the consensus view is that the impact of the MC and OC use on various aspects of physiology is small or nonexistent.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.