Science
The research the BLOCKS assistant answers from: 1,118 studies and 81 guides, each graded for how strong the evidence is and who it was measured on, with a link to the original paper.
27 entries in Women's health
B+Iron absorption from oral iron supplements given on consecutive versus alternate days and as single morning doses versus twice-daily split dosing in iron-depleted women: two open-label, randomised controlled trialsStoffel 2017A-Cycling and bone health: a systematic reviewOlmedillas 2012BIn 187 female endurance athletes aged 40-60, the menopausal symptoms perceived to hurt training most were not hot flushes but joint and muscular discomfort, weight gain, sleep problems and exhaustionAnd more severe symptoms went with a greater perceived impactHamilton 2025A-The pill does not blunt resistance-training adaptation: no significant effect on hypertrophy, strength or power across 8 studiesA tight null for hypertrophy, a less tight one for strength, an uninformative one for powerNolan 2024A-Pelvic floor muscle training works in athletes: significantly less leakage and measurably stronger contractionThe condition is trainable, not something to be worked aroundRodríguez-Longobardo 2024B+36% of female athletes leak urine, and athletes carry a 177% higher risk than sedentary womenThe most under-asked question in coaching womenTeixeira 2018BIn 6812 exercising women, a higher menstrual-symptom burden was associated with missing or changing training: ask what she feels, not only where she is in the cycleBruinvels 2021BA low-dose combined pill cut menstrual blood loss ~44%; ferritin unchanged in iron-replete women but rose in heavy bleeders / low-iron womenLarsson 1992AIn oligo-amenorrhoeic athletes, a transdermal 17β-estradiol patch improved bone density over 12 monthsThe ethinyl-estradiol pill did NOTAckerman 2019A-2-year RCT in female runners: randomisation to the oral pill was unrelated to bone-density change and did not significantly change stress-fracture incidence (direction protective, inconclusive)Cobb 2007B~Half of elite female athletes use hormonal contraception; progestin-only methods (esp. the implant) draw the most perceived side effects, with large individual variabilityMartin 2018BHeavy menstrual bleeding is common in exercising women and linked to self-reported anaemia and perceived performance lossScreen iron statusBruinvels 2016C+Ovarian hormones shift substrate metabolism across the cycle (oestrogen→fat oxidation/glycogen sparing), but the effect is E/P-ratio-dependent and easily overridden by nutritionOosthuyse & Bosch 2010BNo reliable effect of menstrual-cycle phase on acute strength or resistance-training adaptationsDon't periodize lifting by phaseColenso-Semple 2023B+Aerobic exercise by lactating women does not impair breast-milk volume or composition (RCT)Dewey 1994BInternational Delphi consensus on designing a postpartum return-to-running training programmeDeering 2024A2019 Canadian Guideline for Physical Activity throughout PregnancyMottola 2018APhysical Activity and Exercise During Pregnancy and the Postpartum Period (ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804)American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) 2020ASex Differences in Strength & Size Adaptations to Resistance Training in Older AdultsMeta-analysisJones 2020C+Menstrual-Cycle Phase-Based Resistance Training (follicular vs luteal)Muscle strength & massKissow 2022B+Creatine Supplementation in Women's Health: A Lifespan PerspectiveSmith-Ryan 2021C+Bone Health in Endurance Athletes: Runners, Cyclists, and SwimmersScofield & Hecht 2012B+Iron considerations for the athlete: a narrative reviewIron deficiency in ~15-35% of female and ~5-11% of male athlete cohorts; exercise-induced hepcidin is a key driver, with sex hormones, diet, training and altitude all shaping iron statusSim 2019AThe Effects of Oral Contraceptives on Exercise Performance in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisElliott-Sale 2020C+Myths and Methodologies: Reducing scientific design ambiguity in studies comparing sexes and/or menstrual cycle phasesSims & Heather 2018AMethodological Considerations for Studies in Sport and Exercise Science with Women as Participants: A Working Guide for Standards of Practice for Research on WomenElliott-Sale 2021AThe Effects of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Exercise Performance in Eumenorrheic Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-AnalysisMcNulty 2020