A reproducible, self-reported, field-based tool for monitoring ovarian hormone status and body weight variations in female athletes: the Answ'Her questionnaire

Bagot, S, Pereira, B, Lambert, C, Pelissier, L, Chanseaume, E, Duclos, M, Hackney, AC, Elliott-Sale, KJ ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1122-5099, Thivel, D and Isacco, L (2024) A reproducible, self-reported, field-based tool for monitoring ovarian hormone status and body weight variations in female athletes: the Answ'Her questionnaire. Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, 64 (10). pp. 1087-1097. ISSN 0022-4707

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Intra-individual factors like ovarian hormone profiles and body weight variations may influence sports practice and performance in female athletes and need to be characterized. The "Answ'Her"questionnaire was designed to develop a relevant and reproducible fieldbased tool to assess self-reported ovarian hormone status (natural menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive use) and body weight variations practices among female athletes. METHODS: French females with a regular sports practice responded (once: N.=210; twice: N.=86; thrice: N.=66) to this 73-item questionnaire reporting their ovarian hormone status, associated symptoms, perceived influence on sports practice, and body weight variations. Reproducibility was evaluated, then a descriptive cross-sectional analysis was conducted on athletes. RESULTS: Reproducibility was verified with 92% of Lin's correlation concordance coefficients above 0.7 and 100% of weighted agreements above 70%. Ultimately 185 female athletes (23.0±4.8 years) were included in the cross-sectional analysis. Whether they used hormonal contraceptive (46.5%) or not (53.5%), most of the athletes perceived a negative impact of their ovarian hormone status on sports practice (78.7%) and performance (84.7%). Overall, 77.3% of the athletes had experienced body weight variations that were significantly associated with an interruption of menses (>3 months) and menses irregularity over the last three years. CONCLUSIONS: The Answ'Her questionnaire is a simple and effective reproducible field-based tool for the self-reported characterisation of female athlete ovarian hormone status and body weight variations. It could be used for a unique and simple overview of the athlete situation but also in a longitudinal design to assess the athlete's evolution and/or effectiveness of implanted training strategies.