Use of Botanical Ingredients Relevant to Premenstrual Symptoms and Dysmenorrhea Among Elite Female Athletes: Evidence from Doping Control Forms
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Nutrition Physiology, Institute of Sport—National Research Institute, 01-982 Warsaw, Poland
- 2Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-097 Warsaw, Poland
- 3Scientific Team, Polish Anti-Doping Agency, 00-446 Warsaw, Poland
- 4Department of Human Nutrition and Health Education, Faculty of Health Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (WULS-SGGW), 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and dysmenorrhea can impair training performance in female athletes. Botanical ingredients are commonly used to manage these conditions in the general population, but it is unknown whether elite female athletes do so. This study aimed to identify botanical ingredients evaluated in studies for PMS and dysmenorrhea and determine whether elite female athletes declared them on Doping Control Forms (DCFs). Methods: A narrative literature review was conducted to identify botanical ingredients evaluated in studies for PMS and dysmenorrhea. Then, DCFs completed during routine anti-doping testing among elite athletes in Poland (2018–2023) were analyzed for declarations of these ingredients, both directly and as components of multi-ingredient products. The proportion of DCFs containing these ingredients was compared between female (n = 4451 DCFs) and male athletes (n = 9068 DCFs; reference) using chi-squared tests. Results: The review identified 8 and 21 botanical ingredients with evidence for PMS and dysmenorrhea, respectively; of which 9 were detected in DCFs. The most commonly declared ingredients among female athletes were ginger and turmeric/curcuminoid (1.75% and 1.26%, respectively, both studied for PMS and dysmenorrhea). Chasteberry, on the other hand, with the most extensive, albeit low-confidence evidence, for PMS, was rarely declared (0.22%). Direct declaration of ginkgo, valerian, evening primrose oil, and chasteberry was significantly more common among female than male athletes (0.22% vs. 0.02%, 0.36% vs. 0.03%, 0.47% vs. 0.03%, 0.22% vs. 0.02%; adjusted p < 0.05). Conclusions: Declarations of botanical ingredients studied for PMS and dysmenorrhea were infrequent on DCFs completed by female athletes. Because DCFs do not record the reason for use, these data cannot establish whether declarations reflected treatment of menstrual symptoms; studies assessing indication, symptom status and motivation are needed.
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BibTeX
@article{granda2026botanical,
title = {{Use of Botanical Ingredients Relevant to Premenstrual Symptoms and Dysmenorrhea Among Elite Female Athletes: Evidence from Doping Control Forms}},
author = {Dominika Granda and Andrzej Pokrywka and Maria Karolina Szmidt and Olga Surała and Karol Jędrejko and Sylwia Lewandowska-Pachecka and Grażyna Nowicka},
journal = {Nutrients},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/nu18203455},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/20/3455},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Use of Botanical Ingredients Relevant to Premenstrual Symptoms and Dysmenorrhea Among Elite Female Athletes: Evidence from Doping Control Forms
AU - Dominika Granda
AU - Andrzej Pokrywka
AU - Maria Karolina Szmidt
AU - Olga Surała
AU - Karol Jędrejko
AU - Sylwia Lewandowska-Pachecka
AU - Grażyna Nowicka
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Nutrients
DO - 10.3390/nu18203455
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/20/3455
AB - Background/Objectives: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and dysmenorrhea can impair training performance in female athletes. Botanical ingredients are commonly used to manage these conditions in the general population, but it is unknown whether elite female athletes do so. This study aimed to identify botanical ingredients evaluated in studies for PMS and dysmenorrhea and determine whether elite female athletes declared them on Doping Control Forms (DCFs). Methods: A narrative literature review was conducted to identify botanical ingredients evaluated in studies for PMS and dysmenorrhea. Then, DCFs completed during routine anti-doping testing among elite athletes in Poland (2018–2023) were analyzed for declarations of these ingredients, both directly and as components of multi-ingredient products. The proportion of DCFs containing these ingredients was compared between female (n = 4451 DCFs) and male athletes (n = 9068 DCFs; reference) using chi-squared tests. Results: The review identified 8 and 21 botanical ingredients with evidence for PMS and dysmenorrhea, respectively; of which 9 were detected in DCFs. The most commonly declared ingredients among female athletes were ginger and turmeric/curcuminoid (1.75% and 1.26%, respectively, both studied for PMS and dysmenorrhea). Chasteberry, on the other hand, with the most extensive, albeit low-confidence evidence, for PMS, was rarely declared (0.22%). Direct declaration of ginkgo, valerian, evening primrose oil, and chasteberry was significantly more common among female than male athletes (0.22% vs. 0.02%, 0.36% vs. 0.03%, 0.47% vs. 0.03%, 0.22% vs. 0.02%; adjusted p < 0.05). Conclusions: Declarations of botanical ingredients studied for PMS and dysmenorrhea were infrequent on DCFs completed by female athletes. Because DCFs do not record the reason for use, these data cannot establish whether declarations reflected treatment of menstrual symptoms; studies assessing indication, symptom status and motivation are needed.
SN - 2072-6643
ER -