Androgen concentrations vary across the menstrual cycle, but their association with physical performance in females remains unclear
The dissertation investigated how testosterone and other androgen concentrations vary across the menstrual cycle and during hormonal contraceptive use. It also examined the relationship between androgen concentrations, body composition, physical performance, and adaptations to approximately eight weeks of endurance training.
The study included healthy, physically active participants aged 18–45 who had natural menstrual cycles or used hormonal contraceptives.
Androgen concentrations also fluctuate across the menstrual cycle
In naturally menstruating participants, testosterone and DHEA concentrations were highest around ovulation, while in hormonal intrauterine device users, testosterone concentration was highest at mid-cycle. In combined hormonal contraceptive users, androgen concentrations remained relatively stable and suppressed.
Blood androgen concentrations showed no clear association with body composition or physical performance
Androgen concentrations were not consistently associated with body composition, peak oxygen consumption, maximal strength, or maximal jump height. They also remained stable during an endurance training intervention.
“The findings suggest that normal-range endogenous androgen concentrations are not major determinants of body composition, physical performance, or short-term adaptations to endurance training in healthy female individuals. However, this does not mean that androgens have no physiological relevance. Their effects are more complex than individual blood concentrations alone can reveal,” Salmi explains.
Some associations were observed between testosterone concentrations and peak oxygen consumption, but the findings were inconsistent. The observed associations also appeared to be linked to fat-free mass, suggesting that body composition may play a more important role.
“Although the changes in androgen concentrations and the magnitude of the observed associations between androgen concentrations and performance outcomes might appear small, these findings may be meaningful in female athletes, for whom even small differences can be pivotal when competing for top positions. However, no firm conclusions can yet be drawn about the practical relevance of normal-range androgen concentrations to physical performance and exercise adaptations in females,” Salmi emphasizes.
Public examination
Vera Salmi’s doctoral dissertation in exercise physiology, “Endogenous Serum Androgen Concentrations in Female Exercise Physiology – Associations with Body Composition and Physical Performance,” will be publicly examined on Saturday, 24 October 2026, at 12:00, at the University of Jyväskylä in the Main Building, Ballroom C1. The opponent will be Professor Mette Hansen (Aarhus University, Denmark) and the custos will be Senior Lecturer Ritva Mikkonen (University of Jyväskylä). The public examination will be held in English.
