Blunted Myoglobin and Quadriceps Soreness After Electrical Stimulation During the Luteal Phase or Oral Contraception

Purpose: Acute muscle damage after exercise triggers subsequent regeneration, leading to hypertrophy and increased strength after repeated exercise. It has been debated whether acute exercise-induced muscle damage is altered under various premenopausal estrogen conditions. Acute contraction-induced muscle damage was compared during exogenous (oral contraceptive, OC), endogenous (luteal phase, HI), or low (menses, LO) estrogen in healthy young women aged 21 to 30 years old. Methods: Women (OC, n = 9; HI, n = 9; LO, n = 8; total N = 26) performed 1 neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) bout. Soreness, measured via visual analog scale and the Likert Scale of Muscle Soreness for Lower Limb (LSMSLL), quadriceps strength, and plasma myoglobin (Mb), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor were measured before and after NMES. Results: NMES performance was similar across groups. Meaningful within-group increases in Mb (effect size [ES] = 1.12) and IL-8 (ES = 0.38) occurred in LO; ES for HI and OC were trivial. ES of the between-group difference in change was moderate for Mb (LO vs. HI = 1.15) and IL-8 (LO vs. HI = 0.86; LO vs. OC = 0.73). 17-beta estradiol correlated moderately and negatively with Mb relative change (r = -.52, p < .05). LO had similar to 5% greater strength loss than OC and HI. The mean change score for the LSMSLL 2 days post-NMES was clinically greater in LO than OC or HI. Conclusions: Acute NMES-induced indicators of muscle fiber damage and qualitative muscle soreness may be attenuated during the luteal phase or active OC pill consumption compared with the menstrual phase.