Objectives

The purpose of this study is to provide a descriptive account of salivary testosterone levels in women in relation to being an athlete, sporting level, competitive context, and oral contraceptive (OC) use and, to explore the relationship between testosterone levels and performance in a task of competitive persistence.

Methods

Saliva samples were collected from teams of women athletes at the recreational, collegiate varsity, and elite-international levels, and a university participant-pool sample of athletes and non-athletes (N = 253). Among the elite athletes, additional saliva samples were collected before and after on- and off-field training sessions and competition. University participants competed in a timed weight-holding competition in the laboratory.

Results

Testosterone levels were highest in elite athletes compared to university students (η² = .07) and were elevated in the context of competitive training (+13–51%) and formal competition (69%) contexts. OC users had significantly lower testosterone levels than non-users (η² = .14). For university athletes, testosterone levels were positively correlated with performance in a task of competitive persistence (R² = .23). OC use was associated with lower competitive persistence (d = .42) – a relationship explained by OC users’ lower testosterone levels relative to non-users (d = 1.32).

Conclusions

Results suggest that salivary testosterone levels in women may depend on sport participation and OC use, are malleable to competitive contexts, and among athletes, are positively related to competitive task persistence. Given the testosterone suppressing effects of OC use, this study provides insight on psychophysiological risks of OC use that could be relevant to sport performance.

中文翻译：

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女性的睾酮、运动环境、口服避孕药的使用和竞争持久性

目标

本研究的目的是提供与运动员、运动水平、竞争环境和口服避孕药 (OC) 使用相关的女性唾液睾酮水平的描述性说明，并探讨睾酮水平与运动表现之间的关系。竞争坚持的任务。

方法

唾液样本来自娱乐、大学大学和国际精英级别的女运动员团队，以及运动员和非运动员的大学参与者样本 ( N = 253)。在精英运动员中，在场内和场外训练和比赛前后收集了额外的唾液样本。大学的参与者在实验室参加了定时举重比赛。

结果

睾酮水平相比，大学生优秀运动员是最高的（η ²  = 0.07），并在竞争激烈的培训（+ 13-51％）和正式比赛（69％）上下文的背景下明显升高。OC 使用者的睾酮水平明显低于非使用者 ( η ²  = .14)。对于大学运动员，睾丸激素水平与持久竞争任务的表现呈正相关 ( R ²  = .23)。OC 使用与较低的竞争持久性 ( d  = .42) 相关 - OC 用户相对于非用户 ( d  = 1.32)的较低睾酮水平解释了这种关系。

结论

结果表明，女性的唾液睾酮水平可能取决于运动参与和 OC 的使用，对竞争环境具有可塑性，并且在运动员中，与竞争任务的持久性呈正相关。鉴于使用 OC 的睾酮抑制作用，本研究提供了对可能与运动表现相关的 OC 使用的心理生理风险的见解。