EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PHASES OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE ON CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS (VO2MAX) IN YOUNG FEMALES.

Dr. Smruthi V; Dr. Prabhath Ramakrishnan

Volume : IX, Issue : I, January - 2019

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PHASES OF MENSTRUAL CYCLE ON CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS (VO2MAX) IN YOUNG FEMALES.

Dr. Smruthi V, Dr. Prabhath Ramakrishnan

Abstract :

In todays world where women have stepped their foot in every field,it becomes important to understand the physiological changes that occur in her, differing her from her male counterpart,the most important being the monthly menstrual cycle. It is important to know if these cyclical changes occuring due to hormonal influences have any effect on a womans’ physical work capacity, so as to take necessary steps to minimize the effects if there are any. Cardiorespiratory fitness is recognized as an important component of health and it may be necessary for the performance of functional activities.VO2max which can be calculated using treadmill is one of the most common parameters in measuring a persons cardiorespiratory fitness and we have evaluated the VO2max during phases of menstruation in young females. This was a cross sectional study consisting of 30 healthy females 18–25 years of age. After getting institutional ethical clearance and written consent from each participant,VO2max (maximum oxygen uptake)was directly assessed by the Bruce treadmill test method during all the three phases of menstrual cycle.The parameters were analyzed for statistical significance using ANOVA and p<0.05 was considered the level of significance.This study showed that VO2max is not significantly affected by the changing hormonal levels across the normal menstrual cycle.