Muscle power, menarche, estradiol, and lean mass in young female volleyball athletes: a cross-sectional study

During adolescence, female athletes undergo intense physiological and hormonal changes preceding and following menarche, which may potentially influence neuromuscular performance and sports performance in volleyball. To analyze the association between the occurrence of menarche and upper- and lower-limb muscle power in adolescent volleyball athletes, controlled for Tanner maturational stage. This cross-sectional study included 32 athletes (11.38 ± 1.38 years), equally divided into two groups: Menarche (n = 16) and Non-Menarche (n = 16), predominantly classified as Tanner stage III. Body composition (bioelectrical impedance analysis), serum estradiol levels (chemiluminescence), upper-limb power (medicine ball throw [meters]), and lower-limb power (Sargent Jump Test [centimeters]) were assessed. Generalized Linear Models with Bonferroni adjustment were applied, considering the full sample of 32 participants. The Menarche group presented significantly higher estradiol levels (p < 0.001) and greater muscle power in both segments (p < 0.05). Menarcheal status accounted for 74.6% of the variability in estradiol levels (R² = 0.746; p < 0.001). In the body composition-adjusted models, lean mass was the only variable significantly associated with upper-limb muscle power (Exp (β) = 1.029; p = 0.024), whereas estradiol levels were exclusively associated with lower-limb muscle power (Exp (β) = 1.006; p = 0.003). Menarcheal status was strongly associated with muscle power performance in the sample of female school volleyball athletes analyzed in the present study. Neuromuscular performance of the lower limbs was positively associated with estradiol concentrations, whereas upper-limb performance was predominantly associated with greater lean mass.