Influencia del ciclo menstrual sobre el rendimiento deportivo y el estado de ánimo en gimnastas de élite

Resum

This study aims to verify if there are differences in sports performance and mood during the different phases of the menstrual cycle in elite gymnasts. The sample consisted of 5 athletes of rhythmic gymnastics with ages between 16 and 21 years (± 18.5). They have regular menstrual cycle of 28 days. The gymnasts performed an exercise where the performance was measured, through an observation sheet, the level of fatigue using the Borg scale, the heart rate and the total time of execution. On the other hand, the mood of these was measured through the POMS Test Questionnaire. These measurements were made individually four times, one for each 6 phase of the cycle. The results were significant in the performance variable, with the follicular phase obtaining the highest performance (3.88±.49) and the premenstrual and menstrual phase those with the lowest performance; (2.89±.45) and (2.96±.86). As for the state of mind, the gymnasts have more vitality in the follicular and post-ovulatory phases and, they show symptoms of fatigue, depression and anger in the premenstrual and menstrual phases. These are data that coincide with the hormonal cyclical changes of estrogen and progesterone. We can conclude that the menstrual cycle during the premenstrual and menstrual phases, negatively affect both performance and mood, due to hormonal oscillations, while the follicular and post-ovulatory phases have more positive effects.