Study of How Menstrual Cycle Phases Affect Blood Sugar Control During Aerobic and HIIT Exercise in Women With Type 1 Diabetes Aged 18 to 45

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying how blood glucose levels change during different phases of the menstrual cycle in adult women with type 1 diabetes, especially during aerobic or high-intensity interval training HIIT exercise. The goal is to understand whether glucose behaves differently depending on the menstrual phase and use this knowledge to develop better exercise guidelines and improve artificial pancreas systems for women. The study involves aerobic exercise sessions on a cycle ergometer and HIIT sessions using strength exercises with elastic bands. Aerobic sessions include a resting period, warm-up, and stepwise intensity increase to a moderate steady state, maintained for 30 minutes, with recovery periods. These sessions occur on specific days of the menstrual cycle day 3 or day 21. HIIT sessions consist of two sets of 20-second exercise intervals separated by rests and are also scheduled on specific menstrual cycle days. Participants will be monitored for blood glucose levels 24 hours before and after exercise, measuring mean glucose, variability, and time spent at different glucose ranges. Hormone levels such as oestrogens and progesterone will be assessed before exercise. The study is randomized and open-label, with researchers tracking responses to exercise across menstrual phases. The study runs from January 2025 to June 2026 and is sponsored by the University of Valencia.

Influence of Menstrual Cycle Phases on the Glycemic Control of Aerobic or HIIT Exercise in Adult Women With Type 1 Diabetes