The Specificities of Elite Female Athletes: A Multidisciplinary Approach.

Female athletes have garnered considerable attention in the last few years as more and more women participate in sports events. However, despite the well-known repercussions of female sex hormones, few studies have investigated the specificities of elite female athletes. In this review, we present the current but still limited data on how normal menstrual phases, altered menstrual phases, and hormonal contraception affect both physical and cognitive performances in these elite athletes. To examine the implicated mechanisms, as well as the potential performances and health risks in this population, we then take a broader multidisciplinary approach and report on the causal/reciprocal relationships between hormonal status and mental and physical health in young (18-40 years) healthy females, both trained and untrained. We thus cover the research on both physiological and psychological variables, as well as on the Athlete Biological Passport used for anti-doping purposes. We consider the fairly frequent discrepancies and summarize the current knowledge in this new field of interest. Last, we conclude with some practical guidelines for eliciting improvements in physical and cognitive performance while minimizing the health risks for female athletes.

Short-term glucocorticoid intake improves exercise endurance in healthy recreationally trained women.

The present study investigated whether short-term oral administration of glucocorticoid would modify performance and selected hormonal and metabolic parameters during submaximal exercise in healthy women. Nine recreational female athletes completed cycling trials at 70-75% VO(2) max until exhaustion after either placebo (Pla, gelatin) or oral prednisone (Cor, Cortancyl, 50 mg per day for 1 week) treatment, according to a double-blind and randomized protocol. Blood samples were collected at rest; after 10, 20, and 30 min of exercise; at exhaustion; and after 10 and 20 min of passive recovery for adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), prolactin (PRL), growth hormone (GH), insulin (Ins), blood glucose (Glu), and lactate (Lac) determination. Cycling time was significantly increased with short-term Cor intake (Cor: 66.4 +/- 8.4 vs. Pla: 47.9 +/- 6.7 min, P < 0.01). ACTH and DHEA remained completely blunted throughout the experiment with Cor versus Pla (P < 0.01), whereas GH and PRL were significantly decreased with Cor after, respectively, 20 and 30 min of exercise (P < 0.05). No significant difference in Ins or Glu values was found between the two treatments but Lac concentrations were significantly increased with Cor versus Pla between 10 and 30 min of exercise (P < 0.05). These data indicate that short-term glucocorticoid intake improved endurance performance in women, but further investigation is needed to determine whether these results are applicable to elite female athletes and, if so, current WADA legislation needs to be changed.

Effects of short-term prednisolone intake during submaximal exercise.

PURPOSE: To examine the prednisolone's ergogenic and metabolic effects during submaximal exercise. METHODS: Ten recreational male athletes completed two cycling trials at 70-75% peak O2 consumption until exhaustion after either placebo (Pla, lactose) or oral prednisolone (Pred, 60 mg.d(-1) for 1 wk) treatment, according to a double-blind and randomized protocol. Blood samples were collected at rest and during exercise and recovery to determine ACTH, growth hormone (GH), prolactin (PRL), DHEA, insulin, blood glucose, and blood lactate values. RESULTS: Time of cycling was significantly increased after chronic Pred treatment (Pred: 74.5+/-9.5 min; Pla: 46.1+/-3.3 min, P<0.01). Pred intake significantly lowered basal, exercise, and recovery ACTH, DHEA, and PRL concentrations, whereas GH concentrations were significantly lowered by Pred after 30 min of exercise. Blood glucose and insulin were significantly (P<0.05) increased by Pred during the whole experiment and until 30 min of exercise. Blood lactate concentrations were higher after Pred versus Pla at 10 min of exercise until 10 min of recovery (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: From these data, short-term Pred intake did seem to significantly improve performance during submaximal exercise, with concomitant alterations in hormonal and metabolic responses. Further studies will be necessary to elucidate the mechanisms of these hormonal and metabolic changes, and to determine whether the changes may be associated with the marked performance improvement obtained.