Purpose: To this day there is a lack of sport and exercise science research including female athletes. Therefore, it is relevant to research the influence the menstrual cycle (MC) has on sport and exercise. The aim of this literature review is to assess the effect the MC has on recovery after exercise. Method: A digital literature search was conducted using PubMed, SPORTDiscuss, SCOPUS and Google scholar. Different terms for the MC, exercise and recovery were combined and used. Studies had to compare parts of the two different menstrual cycle phases (MCP), include eumenorrheic women and use blood markers to assess the recovery status. Results: four studies were included for endurance and resistance exercise each. Three of four endurance exercise studies observed a significant effect of the MC on recovery after endurance. The last study found no significant effect of the MCP on recovery after endurance exercise. Initially none of the four studies assessing recovery after resistance exercise observed any significant effect of the MCP. Conclusion: It seems to be bigger effect of the MC on recovery after endurance exercise compared to resistance exercise. There is still need for more research on this subject with more extensive studies.
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