Effect of a season of competition and training on hematological status of women field hockey and soccer players.

"Sports anemia" has been observed in the early periods of physical training and may be unfavorable for sport performance and resistance to fatigue. The purpose of this study was to see what effect competition and training had on the hematological status of women field hockey and soccer players. Thirty collegiate athletes participated in this 14 week study. Blood samples were drawn prior to the start, mid-point, and end of the sport season and analyzed using a J.T. Baker 700 A analyzer. Results indicated that mean values for hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, and red blood cell count increased over time for both experimental and control groups. Values for all hematological parameters were within the normal ranges for females. Since all blood parameters commonly used to assess iron hematology were within normal ranges, we can conclude that "sports anemia" was not present.