Login (DCU Staff Only)
Login (DCU Staff Only)

DORAS | DCU Research Repository

Explore open access research and scholarly works from DCU

Advanced Search

The Effect of Hormonal Contraceptive Use on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy, Power and Strength Adaptations to Resistance Exercise Training: A Systematic Review and Multilevel Meta-analysis

Nolan, David orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-0743-8801, McNulty, Kelly L., Manninen, Mika orcid logoORCID: 0000-0002-5281-7309 and Egan, Brendan orcid logoORCID: 0000-0001-8327-9016 (2024) The Effect of Hormonal Contraceptive Use on Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy, Power and Strength Adaptations to Resistance Exercise Training: A Systematic Review and Multilevel Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 54 . pp. 105-125. ISSN 0112-1642

Abstract
Background: Resistance exercise training is widely used by general and athletic populations to increase skeletal muscle hypertrophy, power and strength. Endogenous sex hormones influence various bodily functions, including possibly exercise performance, and may influence adaptive changes in response to exercise training. Hormonal contraceptive (HC) use modulates the profile of endogenous sex hormones, and therefore, there is increasing interest in the impact, if any, of HC use on adaptive responses to resistance exercise training. Objective: Our aim is to provide a quantitative synthesis of the effect of HC use on skeletal muscle hypertrophy, power and strength adaptations in response to resistance exercise training. Methods: A systematic review with meta-analysis was conducted on experimental studies which directly compared skeletal muscle hypertrophy, power and strength adaptations following resistance exercise training in hormonal contraceptive users and non-users conducted before July 2023. The search using the online databases PUBMED, SPORTDiscus, Web of Science, Embase and other supplementary search strategies yielded 4669 articles, with 8 articles (54 effects and 325 participants) meeting the inclusion criteria. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the “Tool for the assessment of study quality and reporting in exercise”. Results: All included studies investigated the influence of oral contraceptive pills (OCP), with no study including participants using other forms of HC. The articles were analysed using a meta-analytic multilevel maximum likelihood estimator model. The results indicate that OCP use does not have a significant effect on hypertrophy [0.01, 95% confidence interval (CI) [− 0.11, 0.13], t = 0.14, p = 0.90), power (− 0.04, 95% CI [− 0.93, 0.84], t = − 0.29, p = 0.80) or strength (0.10, 95% CI [− 0.08, 0.28], t = 1.48, p = 0.20). Discussion: Based on the present analysis, there is no evidence-based rationale to advocate for or against the use of OCPs in females partaking in resistance exercise training to increase hypertrophy, power and/or strength. Rather, an individualised approach considering an individual’s response to OCPs, their reasons for use and menstrual cycle history may be more appropriate. Registration: The review protocol was registered on PROSPERO (ID number and hyperlink: CRD42022365677).
Metadata
Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Subjects:Medical Sciences > Health
Medical Sciences > Sports sciences
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Health and Human Performance
Publisher:Adis International Ltd.
Official URL:https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID...
ID Code:30316
Deposited On:12 Sep 2024 08:44 by Vidatum Academic . Last Modified 12 Sep 2024 08:44
Documents

Full text available as:

[thumbnail of The_Effect_of_Hormonal_Contraceptive_Use_on_Skelet.pdf]
Preview
PDF - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
1MB
Metrics

Altmetric Badge

Dimensions Badge

Downloads

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

Archive Staff Only: edit this record