It’s that time of year again, March Madness is underway! March Madness is the time of the annual NCAA college basketball tournament, for both male and female basketball athletes. Among the crushing competition and exhilarating matchup, there hides a lesser-discussed aspect: how female athletes navigate the twists and turns that is their menstrual cycle. The highs and lows of the menstrual cycle are not normally discussed openly, let alone the experiences women go through in their sports. As sports require strategic thinking, mental strength, and physical endurance, it is vital for a woman to be able to combat the discomfort and symptoms that might arise when playing while on your period. From feeling your best to feeling your worst, understanding the role menstruation has in athletics offers insight into the resilience and courage of women athletes.

It is known that periods come with numerous and never-ending symptoms: some include fatigue, headaches, soreness, cramps, bloating, joint or muscle pain, and more. The topic of periods in women athletes is narrowing, with men being the most researched in sports medicine research. In particular, only 6% of research in sports includes women and girls! 

On another note, let’s talk about the menstrual cycle itself. The menstrual cycle in women is every month, or 28 days, and consists of fluctuations in hormones like estrogen and testosterone. Estrogen and progesterone are the main sex hormones, and when they are fluctuating, they are associated with metabolism, muscle activation, inflammation, and body composition. These effects can variously affect athletic performance, and can take a toll on women's mental health during games and performances. During competition, experiencing these symptoms can be severe, and cause massive pain to athletes; research illustrates that over 87% of athletes experience a reduction in power and increased fatigue while menstruating, and many say reaction times and recovery time was negatively affected. All of these experiences affect womens’ skill development, participation, fitness levels, and could even affect the process of selection as well. 

However, it is important to note that every woman is different, and so are their menstrual cycles. The effect that this has on their bodies will also vary, with some women feeling more severe symptoms than others, and vice versa. As a result, to cope with these things, athletes have to be familiar with their cycles and their symptoms. It is extremely crucial for athletes to also have regular checks with the doctor for vitamins and deficiencies such as iron, B12, and more. Furthermore, at the professional/collegiate level, these cycles in womens’ sports are extremely important, and there have been cases when taking this topic seriously bore amazing results. 

A prime example of this is during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. In this prestigious tournament, the US Women’s National Team took the trophy home once again! How did they do this you may ask, from period tracking! Through tracking the cycles of every player on the team, they optimized the player's hormone cycles to maximize performance. Tracking their periods helped them understand when they performed the best and had the most energy, and when their hormones made them feel worse; they strategized their practice times, diets, and workouts to these cycles to win. In all, it can be said that periods have and continue to affect women in sports on varying levels, and this can affect their performance in sports. However, there are also ways to combat this, such as tracking your period and being familiar with your symptoms and fluctuations of hormones. It is crucial to shine a light on the challenges that female athletes face as they navigate the highs and lows that is the menstrual cycle, but regarding women and athletics, research is continuing to advance and one day will be easier for female athletes across the globe.

Blog Sources: theconversation.com, newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org

Image Source: Marcus Spiske