Menstrual cycles and athletes

February 24, 2020 8:36 PM

Several high-profile sports teams (USWNT, AFLW, Chelsea FC) have revealed they are using information about athletes’ menstrual cycles to tailor training programs, enhance performance and endeavour to avoid injury. Here are some recommendations for how menstruating people can tailor their training to their cycle.

Sports is "an industry where women have always been treated like small men. The application of anything from rehab to strength and condition to tactical all come from the basis of what men do," says Emma Hayes, manager at Chelsea FC.

"Rehab and conditioning in women’s sport has long been based on the learnings of men. An analysis from 2014 revealed that of all the sports performance studies conducted between 2011 and 2013, only 3% involved women. This is hardly surprising. The absence of women in clinical trials and the assumption that what works for men will work for women has long persisted, and to the detriment of women."

posted by mosessis (4 comments total)

As a result, you may find that you don't have as much endurance during your luteal phase. (...) Decreased performance is a perfectly normal experience in the luteal phase of your cycle.

I find it interesting how often the difference between cycle phases is formulated in terms of deficiency. Why not say, endurance and strength is increased during the first part of your cycle?

Not an athlete but I notice huge fluctuations in motivation, creativity and energy levels during my cycle and framing this variability in a positive way was a conscious switch for me that really made a difference.
posted by The Toad at 9:20 PM on February 24, 2020 [24 favorites]

Agreed, TheToad. I think also this comes from athletics where peak formance is somehow considered normal performance and everything else is something to be trained away.
posted by taterpie at 2:00 AM on February 25, 2020 [7 favorites]

I find it interesting how often the difference between cycle phases is formulated in terms of deficiency. Why not say, endurance and strength is increased during the first part of your cycle?

Not to diminish whatever part sexism does play in it, but that's pretty typical sports medicine thinking, finding peak performance and using that as the baseline. It's not the healthiest or most socially responsible way to view and think about human bodies, but it is the way that professional athletes (and their health care people) tend to think about things in an ultra competitive environment. You 'are' what you are at your best, and the things that make you less than your best are things to be overcome.
posted by neonrev at 2:08 AM on February 25, 2020 [10 favorites]

According to one scientist who has been researching this topic for decades, the state-of-the-art advice is... they don't know. "There are currently no fit for purpose evidenced based guidelines to tailor womens training or performance to different phases of the menstrual cycle ... it is impossible for us to guide women’s sport ... listen to your own bodies and make reasonable adjustments where you can." And of course, "More high quality research is needed." (Which just might have something to do with the fact that "only 3% involved women.")
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:34 AM on February 25, 2020 [2 favorites]