Abstract
Measurement error(s) of exercise tests for women are severely lacking in the literature. The purpose of this investigation was to 1) determine whether ovulatory status or ambient environment were moderating variables when completing a 30-min self-paced work trial and 2) provide test-retest norms specific to athletic women. A retrospective analysis of three heat stress studies was completed using 33 female participants (31 ± 9 yr, 54 ± 10 mL·min-1·kg-1) that yielded 130 separate trials. Participants were classified as ovulatory (n = 19), anovulatory (n = 4), and oral contraceptive pill users (n = 10). Participants completed trials ∼2 wk apart in their (quasi-) early follicular and midluteal phases in two of moderate (1.3 ± 0.1 kPa, 20.5 ± 0.5°C, 18 trials), warm-dry (2.2 ± 0.2 kPa, 34.1 ± 0.2°C, 46 trials), or warm-humid (3.4 ± 0.1 kPa, 30.2 ± 1.1°C, 66 trials) environments. We quantified reliability using limits of agreement, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), standard error of measurement (SEM), and coefficient of variation (CV). Test-retest reliability was high, clinically valid (ICC = 0.90, P < 0.01), and acceptable with a mean CV of 4.7%, SEM of 3.8 kJ (2.1 W), and reliable bias of -2.1 kJ (-1.2 W). The various ovulatory status and contrasting ambient conditions had no appreciable effect on reliability. These results indicate that athletic women can perform 30-min self-paced work trials ∼2 wk apart with an acceptable and low variability irrespective of their hormonal status or heat-stressful environments.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study highlights that aerobically trained women perform 30-min self-paced work trials ∼2 wk apart with acceptably low variability and their hormonal/ovulatory status and the introduction of greater ambient heat and humidity do not moderate this measurement error.
Highlights
Title IX and the NIH Revitalization Act provided a mechanism to prevent the exclusion of females as research participants and focus, there is still considerable bias against women in basic and pre-clinical biomedical research, including physiology [1]
We have previously reported that the menstrual phase did not influence performance of a 30-min work trial, whereas the ambient profile reduced work performed by 3-5%
With regards to repeated performance of the work trials, individual results can be seen as Brinley and Bland-Altman plots (Figure 2)
Summary
Title IX and the NIH Revitalization Act provided a mechanism to prevent the exclusion of females as research participants and focus, there is still considerable bias against women in basic and pre-clinical biomedical research, including physiology [1]. This Journal and its parent society can claim, more than most, to be leading by example [2,3,4]. When considering research on physically-active females it would be prudent to include rather than exclude these cohorts because of their physiology (endocrinology), in addition to eumenorrheic women in order to make findings as representative and applicable to athletic females as possible
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