Conditioning Military Women for Optimal Performance: Effects of Contraceptive Use
Abstract
The purpose of this investigation is to discover the effects of a physical training plus heat acclimation program on exercise performance, thermoregulation, immune function, and reproductive and stress hormone responses in three groups of women: oral contraceptive (OC), Depo-Provera (DP) contraceptive, and eumenorrheic-ovulatory (Eu-Ov) no contraception. Because the number of subjects (n--I 2) was small in each treatment group (n--i to 7), few statistical analyses beyond descriptive statistics have been reported. Subjects were stronger, more physically fit, leaner, and heat acclimated at the end of the 8-week physical training program. Reproductive hormone and plasma aldosterone trends showed that subjects responded to the training regimen unremarkably. There was a trend for plasma cortisol levels to decrease (pre-acclimation versus post-acclimation). Inununological measures indicated: (a) no consistent trend in total IgG concentration; (b)OC and DP (combined) appeared to have more lipopolysaccharide antibodies than Eu-Ov; (c) OC and DP (combined) tended to have greater CD-4+ (an immune factor) levels than Eu-Ov; (d) a rising trend in Interferon-garuma (all groups) was observed; and interestingly (e) very low levels of CD4+ and CD8+ were found in all subjects, but the cause is unknown and must be investigated in Year II and Year III.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADB233334
Entities
People
- Lawrence E. Armstrong
Organizations
- University of Connecticut