Date

1-14-2026

Department

School of Health Sciences

Degree

Master of Science in Human Performance (MS)

Chair

Willard Peveler

Keywords

Female Athletes, Menstrual Cycle, Power, Sports Performance

Disciplines

Kinesiology

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to examine if there are any variances in a female athlete’s ability to produce power, that could be correlated with the menstrual cycle phases. The study observed three elite female athletes throughout 13 weeks, collecting relative propulsive power and relative braking power data from their vertical jump performances which occurred multiple times a week. At the end of the 13 weeks, participating athletes were asked to download their personal Oura Ring data. The Oura data points included in this study were used to identify and measure several physiological factors such as menstrual cycle day, menstrual cycle phase, sleep score, total sleep time, restful sleep, sleep efficiency, readiness score, and heart rate variability (HRV). The vertical jump testing was recorded using Hawkin Dynamics force plates, which automatically saved each user’s vertical jump attempts throughout the 13-week period. The results of the vertical jumps suggest that there may be a small decline in propulsive power and braking power for a female athlete in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, however, there were no significant differences between the phases. Additionally, the Oura data, however not significant, showed a drop in overall readiness score, as well as HRV specifically in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, even when sleep time, sleep efficiency, and sleep restfulness remained similar in score across the phases. In conclusion, a trend can be seen between vertical jump power, as well as an athlete’s ability to recover, when comparing the menstrual phases.

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