Influence of menstrual cycle and oral contraceptives on tolerance to uncompensable heat stress.

In this study we examined the influence of menstrual cycle phase and oral contraceptive use on thermoregulation and tolerance during uncompensable heat stress. Eighteen women (18-35 years), who differed only with respect to oral contraceptive use (n = 9) or non-use (n = 9), performed light intermittent exercise at 40 degrees C and 30% relative humidity while wearing nuclear, biological and chemical protective clothing. Their responses were compared during the early follicular (EF, days 2-5) and mid-luteal (ML, days 19-22) phases of the menstrual cycle. Since oral contraceptives are presumed to inhibit ovulation, a quasi-early follicular (q-EF) and quasi-mid-luteal (q-ML) phase was assumed for the users. Estradiol and progesterone measurements verified that all subjects were tested during the desired phases of the menstrual cycle. Results demonstrated that rectal temperature (Tre) was elevated in ML compared with EF among the non-users at the beginning and throughout the heat-stress trial. For the users, Tre was higher in q-ML compared with q-EF at the beginning, and for 75 min of the heat-stress exposure. Tolerance times were significantly longer during EF [128.1 (13.4) min, mean (SD)] compared with ML [107.4 (8.6) min] for the nonusers, indicating that these women are at a thermoregulatory advantage during the EF phase of their menstrual cycle. For the users, tolerance times were similar in both the q-EF [113.0 (5.8) min] and q-ML [116.8 (11.2) min] phases and did not differ from those of the non-users. It was concluded that oral contraceptive use had little or no influence on tolerance to uncompensable heat stress, whereas tolerance was increased during EF for non-users of oral contraceptives.

Energetics of backstroke swimming in males and females.

The aims of this study were to compare the oxygen demand of back crawl in male and female competitive swimmers and to examine the effect of stroke mechanics on these costs. Twenty-two male and 16 female swimmers participated in the study. The VO2 increased with v2 to a peak of approximately 4.03 l.min-1 in males and of approximately 2.88 l.min-1 in females. Mean VO2 of the males at a given v was significantly higher than that of the female swimmers, but the slopes of the regression lines were identical. Increases of velocity in both groups were related to increases in f and a decrease in distance. Costs per stroke (ml O2.str-1) in males were significantly higher than in females at a v = 1.0, 1.1, and 1.2 m.s-1. The relationship between VO2 and body mass at v = 1.1 m.s-1 was evaluated by deriving the exponent b in the allometric equation VO2 = a Mb. The exponent b was found to be 0.55. These results indicate that submaximal VO2 in back crawl swimming does not increase in proportion to body mass and may explain why VO2 (l.min-1) has been found to be higher in males than in females.