NCT05934708

Examining the Role of Female Endogenous Sex Hormones in Eccentric Exercise

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Southern California · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 35 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The fluctuating concentrations of female sex hormones, namely estrogen and progesterone may have an effect on the ability of the tissue to withstand challenging exercise conditions, such as eccentric exercise. These sex hormones have also been purported to influence the perceived difficulty of exercise. This study aims to uncover how the different estrogen and progesterone concentrations present throughout the menstrual cycle effect perceived readiness to perform, perceptions of difficulty, and different recovery metrics.

Detailed description

Although nearly half of the population is female, less than 10% of research resources are allocated to understanding how their dynamic physiology impacts athletic readiness, performance, and recovery. The fluctuating concentrations of female sex hormones, namely estrogen and progesterone may have an effect on the ability of the tissue to withstand challenging exercise conditions, such as eccentric exercise. This study aims to uncover how the different estrogen and progesterone concentrations present throughout the menstrual cycle effect perceived readiness to perform, perceptions of difficulty, and the inflammatory environment and quantification of muscle damage.

Conditions

• Inflammatory Response

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Eccentric leg extension	Participants will complete a 10 x 10 eccentric leg extension on a Cybex Norm dynamometer. Upon arrival, participants will be asked their perceived readiness to perform on a 11 point numeric rating scale. Before the running protocol a baseline blood sample will be collected, as well as passive and active delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), a countermovement jump. Half way through each set (i.e., after the 5th repetition) participants will be asked to rank their level of difficulty on a 11 point OMNI Res scale. This will occur during each set. Participants will have follow up blood draws, measures of muscle function (i.e, jump height) and soreness measured immediately after and 24 and 48 hours post-exercise.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-03-07
• Primary completion: 2026-05-30
• Completion: 2026-08-01
• First posted: 2023-07-07
• Last updated: 2026-03-25

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States