Research Projects

Women's health: Hormonal influences on performance in women – HELF

With the research project HELF (Hormonal Influences on Performance in Women), our team is addressing a key issue in women's health that has been insufficiently addressed in medical and sports science research to date: the influence of hormonal life phases on physical and cognitive performance.

The focus is on women aged 20 to 65 in different hormonal phases of life – from the menstrual cycle to perimenopause and postmenopause. The aim of the project is to better understand how hormonal changes are related to cognitive functions, neuromuscular performance, balance, thermoregulation, and subjective well-being.

The project is part of the doctoral research project of our team member Melanie Strohbach and comprises both a cross-sectional study and an intervention study. At the beginning, comprehensive baseline measurements are carried out, including cognitive functions (e.g., attention and memory), muscle strength, neuromuscular activation, balance, and thermoregulatory parameters. These objective measurements will be supplemented by standardized questionnaires on hormone-related symptoms, such as sleep disturbances or hot flashes.

Based on the initial measurements, some of the participants take part in a health-oriented exercise program that combines physical and cognitive training components. After completion of the intervention, the measurements are repeated to analyze possible changes in performance and well-being.

With the HELF project, we want to help close existing gaps in research in the field of women's health. In the long term, the findings will contribute to the development of evidence-based approaches for prevention, health promotion, and dealing with hormonal transition phases in women's everyday and professional lives.