When compared with a natural menstrual cycle, oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use might result in slightly inferior exercise performance, although any group level effect is most likely to be trivial, and as such from a practical perspective, the current evidence does not warrant general guidance on OCP use compared with non-use.

Exercise performance appeared relatively consistent across the OCP cycle, suggesting that different guidance is not warranted for OCP-taking days versus non-OCP taking days.

In the case of sportswomen who are focussing on performance, it is recommended that an individualised approach is sought, based on each athlete’s response to OCP use.