Body composition in premenopausal and postmenopausal well-trained females

Purpose: The aim was to analyse the influence of sex hormones on body composition in well-trained females with different hormonal environments.Methods: Sixty-six eumenorrheic, forty-one low-dose-monophasic oral contraceptive users and sixteen postmenopausal well-trained females participated in this study. Volunteers underwent a Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry scan (DXA) and a bioimpedance during the early-follicular and the withdrawal phase, verified with blood samples.Results: ANCOVA test reported no differences neither in DXA measurements (weight, fat free mass, fat mass, android and gynoid fat mass) nor in bioimpedance variables (weight, fat free mass, fat mass and total body water) among study groups.Conclusion: Sex hormones seems not to influence body composition in active women. Curiously, premenopausal and postmenopausal active women present the same fat mass distribution. It could be explained by the positive effect exercise has on body composition, and this in turn on preventing cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in this population.