The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of oral contraceptive use on bone serum markers following a 3-week jumping protocol. Twenty-three females (18-25 years) were grouped as oral contraceptive users (OC+) or non-users (OC-). Following a 3-week observation period, participants completed a 3-week (15-day) jump protocol. Jump sessions consisting of ten 42 cm drop jumps with a 30 s rest interval between jumps were completed each day, 5 days per week. Peak vertical ground reaction force and loading rate were measured and the osteogenic index was calculated. Serum markers for bone formation, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and bone resorption, C-terminal telopeptides of type I collagen (CTX) were measured at three time points (pre-, mid-, post-jump). BAP and CTX increased significantly (P = 0.0017, 0.0488) in both groups post-jump; however, bone metabolic markers were not different between the OC+ and OC- groups. Osteogenic index, ground reaction force and vertical jump height were similar between groups. Correlations between markers of bone metabolism and participants' age at menarche, weight, loading rate and years on OC were not significant. A 3-week jumping protocol was found to be effective in stimulating bone metabolism in both OC+ and OC- groups.
Keywords: bone formation; bone resorption; bone serum markers; jump training; osteogenic index.