#36 - Effect of the menstrual cycle, oral contraception, pregnancy and the menopause on exercise performance with Dr Kirsty Elliott Sale

Dr Glenn McConell chats with Professor Kirsty Elliott-Sale from Manchester Metropolitan University, England. She is an expert on female exercise physiology . We discuss the effects of the menstrual cycle, oral contraception, pregnancy and the menopause on exercise performance. As will become apparent, more research needs to be done on these important areas.

0:00. Introduction and Kirsty’s intro to research etc
5:05. Finally more research on female exercise physiology
6:25. Men have been the default research participants
9:53. Sex difference studies are a very different issue
11:47. Effects of the menstrual cycle on exercise performance
-Systematic review/meta analysis mentioned: Kelly Lee McNulty et al. Sports Med. 50(10):1813-1827, 2020.
14:45. Variation in menstrual cycle length, existence, symptoms
20:35. Manipulating the menstrual cycle/hormonal profile
22:13. Ovarian hormone changes over the typical menstrual cycle
24:40. Effect of oral contraception on ovarian hormone levels
32:05. Effect of oral contraception on exercise performance
-Systematic review/meta analysis mentioned: Elliott-Sale et al. Sports Med. 50(10): 1785–1812, 2020.
42:00. Effects of pregnancy on exercise performance
46:50. Questionnaires on these areas of research
49:00. Return to exercise after having children
55:30. Effect of the menopause on exercise performance
1:02:40. Does the menopause effect the trajectory of changes
1:04:17. Muscle mass loss after menopause
1:05:35. What Kirsty is excited about at the moment
1:08:30. Takeaway messages
-Methodological considerations paper: Elliott-Sale. Sports Med. 51(5):843-861, 2021.
1:11:19. Outro (9 secs)

Inside Exercise brings to you the who's who of research in exercise metabolism, exercise physiology and exercise’s effects on health. With scientific rigor, these researchers discuss popular exercise topics while providing practical strategies for all.

The interviewer, Emeritus Professor Glenn McConell, has an international research profile following 30 years of Exercise Metabolism research experience while at The University of Melbourne, Ball State University, Monash University, the University of Copenhagen and Victoria University.

He has published over 120 peer reviewed journal articles and recently edited an Exercise Metabolism eBook written by world experts on 17 different topics (https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-94305-9).

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