Comparison of physiological response to the YO-YO intermittent recovery test applied in menstrual and early follicular phase in female handball players

The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of menstruation on the performance of female handball players at similar estrogen and progesterone levels. Fifteen volunteer female athletes (age: 18,40±1,76 years, weight: 61,20±5,51 kg, height: 169,07±2,96 cm) playing in Turkish Handball 1st League B group participated in the study. Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (Yo-Yo IRT I) was applied to the participants in the menstrual period (menstruation) and early follicular period. Lactic acid (La) values and Maximum Oxygen Consumption amounts (VO2max) were measured after the tests. IBM SPSS 22.0 package program was used in the analysis of the data obtained at the end of the measurements. It was found that there was no significant difference in terms of lactic acid between the menstrual period (13,48±2,78 mmol•L-1) and the early follicular phase (13,56±2,42 mmol•L-1) of the female athletes participating in the study (p >0,05). It was determined that there was no statistically significant difference in maximum oxygen (VO2max) consumption between the menstrual period (42,34±0,84 ml/kg/min) and the early follicular phase period (42,58±0,95 ml/kg/min) (p>0,05). When the distance covered by Yo-Yo IRT was compared between the menstrual period (706,67±99,91 m) and the early follicular phase period (736,0±112,94 m), a significant difference was found between intermittent endurance measurements (p<0,05). As a result, the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test applied during the menstrual period and early follicular phase of female handball players participating in the study has no effect on performance.