Female Athlete’s Heart: Key Research Findings
Female athletes’ hearts adapt differently than male athletes’, as revealed by new research. Scientists discovered key distinctions in cardiovascular changes, specifically focusing on how the hearts of women athletes respond to intense training. This study emphasizes the need for sex-specific assessments in diagnosing
Study: Hearts of Female Athletes Adapt Differently
Updated June 2, 2025
the hearts of female athletes undergo distinct changes in response to intensive training compared to their male counterparts, according to research from Amsterdam UMC. The study, published in the European Heart Journal—cardiovascular Imaging, emphasizes the importance of considering biological sex in assessing athlete heart health.
While male athletes often exhibit a thickening and dilation of the heart muscle, female elite athletes primarily show dilation of the heart chambers. This key difference can aid doctors in distinguishing between normal, sports-related adaptations and potential heart disease in women.
Harald Jorstad, a sports cardiologist at amsterdam UMC, noted the underrepresentation of women in sports cardiology research. He said their collaboration with the Dutch Olympic team allowed them to gather data on cardiac adaptations in female elite athletes.
Researchers analyzed MRI scans of 173 female elite athletes, comparing their hearts to those of non-athletes. The results indicated that female athletes’ heart chambers widen,with limited thickening of the heart muscle. In contrast, male athletes commonly show a thicker heart muscle, a characteristic also seen in heart disease.
Maarten van Diepen,a physician-researcher in sports cardiology at Amsterdam UMC,pointed out variations among different types of athletes. Endurance athletes,such as cyclists,had larger heart chambers and more heart muscle mass compared to strength athletes like gymnasts. This suggests that the type of training load influences how an elite female athlete’s heart adapts.
That is why it is crucial that we know from both men and women how the heart adapts through sport, and we know what is normal in an athlete.
the study underscores the need to consider both sports history and biological sex when evaluating an athlete’s heart. This approach can prevent overlooking heart disease in women or misdiagnosing a healthy female athlete’s heart as diseased, according to Jorstad.
What’s next
Further research will focus on refining diagnostic criteria for heart conditions in female athletes, ensuring accurate assessments and appropriate guidance for both professional and recreational athletes.