NCT06985420

The Effect of the Menstrual Cycle on Immune Cell Activity and Recovery After Resistance Exercise

The Impact of the Menstrual Cycle on Innate Immune Cell Activation, Recruitment, and Adhesion Dynamics During Recovery From Damaging Resistance Exercise: Role of Neutrophils and Systemic Chemokines.

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: —
• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 40 (estimated)
• Sponsor: University of Central Florida · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: 18 Years – 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The goal of this observational study is to learn how the menstrual cycle affects immune cell activation, recruitment, and recovery responses after resistance exercise in healthy, resistance-trained women aged 18-40. The main questions it aims to answer are: Does the menstrual cycle influence neutrophil recruitment and adhesion after resistance exercise? Does the menstrual cycle affect markers of muscle damage and functional recovery? Researchers will compare three menstrual phases (early follicular, late follicular, and mid-luteal) to see if immune responses and recovery outcomes differ across these phases. Participants will: Complete resistance exercise protocols across three different menstrual cycle phases. Provide blood samples to assess immune cell activation and muscle damage markers. Track sleep, mood, and recovery with questionnaires and wear an accelerometer.

Conditions

• Healthy Women
• Menstruation
• Resistance Exercise

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Resistance exercise	Resistance Exercise Protocols: Participants will perform exercises, including belt squats, hex bar deadlifts, and plyometric drop jumps. The load and intensity will be standardized based on each participant's 1-repetition maximum (1RM) to ensure uniformity across trials.
OTHER	Menstrual Cycle Phases	Menstrual Cycle Phases: The key exposure variable is the phase of the menstrual cycle, with participants being assessed during the early follicular, late follicular, and mid-luteal phases.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-08-16
• Primary completion: 2025-05-01
• Completion: 2025-05-01
• First posted: 2025-05-22
• Last updated: 2025-05-22

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States