Table 2.
Data are shown as median values with corresponding 1st and 3rd quartiles.
| MD (n = 7) | Control (n = 10) | Reference range/decision limit | Effect size | Between-group difference (p value) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex hormones | |||||
| FSH (IU/L) | 6.0 (4.9; 8.3) | 6.6 (5.9; 8.0) | 3.5–12.5A | −0.30 | 0.55 |
| LH (IU/L) | 3.6 (1.8; 4.8) | 7.3 (5.0; 8.4) | 0.5–18.0A | −1.19 | 0.02 |
| Oestradiol (nmol/L) | 0.08 (.05; 0.11) | 0.15 (0.08; 0.22) | 0.05–0.85A | −0.86 | 0.08 |
| Testosterone (nmol/L) | 0.75 (0.64; 0.88) | 0.87 (0.72; 1.0) | 0.55–1.8 | −0.60 | 0.19 |
| Free testosterone (nmol/L) | 0.012 (0.011; 0.013) | 0.014 (0.012; 0.018) | 0.006–0.034 | −0.67 | 0.15 |
| Thyroid hormones | |||||
| TSH (mIU/L) | 1.9 (1.2; 3.3) | 2.8 (1.4; 3.6) | 0.4–4.8 | −0.16 | 0.75 |
| Total T3 (nmol/L) | 1.1 (1.0; 1.6) | 1.4 (1.4; 1.5) | 1.4–2.8 | −1.11 | 0.09 |
| Free T3 (pmol/L) | 3.68 (3.45; 4.01) | 4.30 (4.21; 4.44) | 3.1–6.8 | −1.42 | 0.01 |
| Total T4 (nmol/L) | 70 (67; 85) | 80 (74; 87) | 70–140 | −0.74 | 0.15 |
| Free T4 (pmol/L) | 13.4 (12.4; 15.0) | 14.6 (14.0; 15.8) | 12.0–22.0 | −0.99 | 0.06 |
| Bone markers | |||||
| Osteocalcin (μg/L) | 13.6 (11.2; 26.9) | 17.0 (14.1; 28.7) | 8.1–42.8 | 0.20 | 0.43 |
| Beta CTX (μg/L) | 846 (444; 1115) | 651 (532; 865) | 90–1342 | 0.16 | 0.75 |
| PINP (g/L) | 86.4 (59.0; 110.0) | 84.7 (64.7; 102.5) | 20–107 | 0.04 | 0.95 |
| Total calcium (nmol/L) | 2.34 (2.28; 2.39) | 2.29 (2.25; 2.32) | 2.15–2.51 | 0.90 | 0.09 |
| 25-Hydroxy-vitamin D (nmol/L) | 70 (55; 104) | 80 (74; 83.5) | > 50 | −0.07 | 0.35 |
| Cholesterols | |||||
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 4.5 (4.3; 4.7) | 4.0 (3.5; 4.9) | < 5.0 | 0.48 | 0.29 |
| HDL (mmol/L) | 1.9 (1.7; 2.1) | 1.9 (1.7; 2.1) | > 1.0 | 0.25 | 0.62 |
| LDL (mmol/L) | 2.3 (1.9; 2.4) | 2.0 (1.2; 2.5) | < 3.0 | 0.37 | 0.28 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L) | 0.76 (0.53; 0.88) | 0.69 (0.57; 0.90) | < 2.0 | 0.16 | 0.73 |
| Haematology | |||||
| Erythrocytes (1012/L) | 4.26 (4.26; 4.78) | 4.35 (4.19; 4.44) | 3.94–5.16 | 0.41 | 0.49 |
| Leukocytes (109/L) | 5.3 (3.4; 6.0) | 4.4 (3.9; 4.7) | 3.5–8.8 | 0.51 | 0.72 |
| Thrombocytes (109/L) | 267 (198; 272) | 220 (195; 249) | 145–390 | 0.20 | 0.36 |
| Reticulocytes (109/L) | 55 (44; 74) | 60 (51; 71) | 25–99 | −0.35 | 0.54 |
| Haemoglobin (mmol/L) | 8.1 (8.0; 8.8) | 8.3 (8.0; 8.5) | 7.3–9.5 | 0.00 | 1.00 |
| Haematocrit | 0.41 (0.40; 0.42) | 0.40 (0.39; 0.41) | 0.35–0.46 | 0.54 | 0.24 |
| MCHC (mmol/L) | 20.4 (19.6; 20.7) | 20.4 (20.2; 20.9) | 19.7–22.2 | −0.67 | 0.49 |
| MCV (fL) | 94 (91; 96) | 94 (91; 94) | 82–98 | −0.03 | 0.77 |
| Others | |||||
| Hs-CRPB (mg/L) | 1 (1; 1) | 1 (1; 1.5) | < 10 | n/a B | 0.49 |
| Ferritin (μg/L) | 48 (39; 63) | 43 (28; 58) | 12–300 | 0.19 | 0.49 |
| Hepcidin (μg/L) | 11 (7; 19) | 7 (4; 12) | 2–31 | 0.75 | 0.15 |
| Cortisol (nmol/L) | 364 (299; 460) | 396 (356; 438) | 133–537 | 0.07 | 0.67 |
| Prolactin (mIU/L) | 228 (159; 304) | 434 (369; 474) | 35–600 | −2.32 | < 0.001 |
| SHBG (nmol/L) | 47.5 (42.6; 78.3) | 61.4 (37.8; 75.0) | 32.4–128 | 0.05 | 0.76 |
Note: Bold values indicate to illustrate p < 0.05.
Abbreviations: CTX, cross-linking telopeptide of Type I collagen; FSH, follicle stimulating hormone; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; Hs-CRP, high-sensitivity c-reactive protein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; LH, luteinizing hormone; MD, menstrual dysfunction; PINP, procollagen Type 1 N propeptide; TSH, thyroid-stimulating hormone.
AFollicular phase.
BDetection limit at 1 mg/L. Only two control athletes presented with concentrations above the detection limit, and consequently, effect size could not be calculated. Between-group differences were tested using Mann–Whitney tests.