Most reproductive-aged women are exposed to fluctuating female steroid hormones due to the menstrual cycle or oral contraceptive use. This study investigated the potential effect of the menstrual cycle and combined monophasic oral contraceptive cycle on various aspects of muscle performance. Thirty active females (12 with a natural menstrual cycle, 10 taking a high-androgenicity oral contraceptive and 8 taking a low-androgenicity oral contraceptive), aged 18 to 30 years, were tested three times throughout one menstrual or oral contraceptive cycle. Counter-movement jumps, bilateral hop jumps, handgrip strength, isometric knee extensor strength and isokinetic knee flexion and extension were assessed. Perceptual ratings of fatigue, muscle soreness, pain and mood were recorded. Most variables showed no significant changes over the menstrual or oral contraceptive cycle. However, for the menstrual cycle group, isokinetic knee flexion at 240° s⁻¹, and time of flight in bilateral hopping and counter movement jumps showed better results during the mid-luteal phase compared with the late follicular phase. For the high-androgenicity oral contraceptive group, isokinetic knee flexion at 240° s⁻¹ was significantly higher in the late hormone phase compared with the early hormone phase. For the low-androgenicity oral contraceptive group, time of flight for the counter-movement jumps was lower in the late hormone phase compared with the early hormone phase. The findings indicate that faster and explosive aspects of muscle performance may be influenced by endogenous and exogenous female hormones.

Summary: Lipoedema is the disproportionate accumulation of adipose tissue in the lower body, often associated with hormonal changes in women. Lipoedema is commonly misdiagnosed as lymphoedema or obesity due to similarities in appearance. The aim of this study is to compare body composition and fluid measures of women with lipoedema, lymphoedema, and matched control participants, to determine differences that may help distinguish between each condition. One hundred and eleven participants aged over 18, who presented with the complaint of leg swelling and underwent indocyanine green lymphography were included in this study. Our analysis showed that the individuals with lymphoedema had a significantly higher overall total body water (lymphoedema: 9.6 ± 4.2 L, lipoedema: 7.4 ± 2.3 L, control: 7.5 ± 1.8 L; p < .001) and extracellular fluid (lymphoedema: 4.6 ± 1.6, lipoedema: 3.4 ± 1.0 L, control: 3.5 ± 0.7 L; p < .001) in the legs when compared to individuals with lipoedema and matched control participants. Individuals with lipoedema had a significantly higher overall fat mass as a percentage of body weight when compared to individuals with lymphoedema (lymphoedema: 33.1% ± 9.5%, lipoedema: 39.4% ± 6.5%; p = .003). We are unable to distinguish between individuals with lipoedema and control participants, therefore further research needs to be conducted to help reduce misdiagnosis.

Lipoedema is a condition of abnormal accumulation of painful adipose tissue, usually in the lower body of women. The disproportionate subcutaneous adipose tissue may negatively impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). There are currently no patient reported outcome measures (PROM) specifically designed to assess the HRQoL in individuals with lipoedema. The aim of this study was to compare scores on validated lower limb lymphoedema PROMs between females with lipoedema and lymphoedema. In a private lymphoedema clinic in Australia between 1 October 2021 and 22 August 2023, individuals assigned female at birth, aged 18 years and older who consented to the entry of de-identified data into a research databank and completed the Lymphoedema Quality of Life tool (LYMQOL-leg) and/or Lymphoedema Symptoms Intensity and Distress Survey (LSIDS-L) for the legs were included in this study. Between group analysis was conducted on 151 participants who were either diagnosed with lipoedema (N = 90) or bilateral leg lymphoedema (N = 61). Participants with both conditions were excluded. Participants with lipoedema reported significantly higher burden scores for symptoms (p = 0.003), appearance (p = 0.003) and mood (p = 0.011) in the LYMQOL-leg survey when compared to participants with bilateral leg lymphoedema. Participants with lipoedema also reported significantly worse LSIDS-L scores for neurological sensation (p = 0.003), biobehavioral (p = 0.016) and resource (p = 0.008) questions compared to participants with lymphoedema. This study highlights that although females with lipoedema and lymphoedema experience similar symptoms, their experiences differ in specific outcomes that influence their HRQoL. These findings warrant further investigation into the HRQoL concerns of individuals with lipoedema.

Lipoedema is a chronic condition characterized by the painful disproportionate adipose tissue in the bilateral legs and sometimes arms of an individual (Bertsch et al., 2020). Women are almost excl...