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PERIODS IN SPORTS: Impact of Menstruation on Female Athletes

August 14, 2022
By Tribesforgood
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Introduction

Menstrual health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, in relation to the menstrual cycle. Menstruation, also sometimes referred to as a period, is bleeding that occurs as a part of a women’s monthly cycle. It is a process of preparing your body later on for pregnancy. Menstrual health has a lot of impact on society from affecting careers and opportunities, to period poverty and health issues. It is something that is only now slowly gaining attention and garnering conversations among people. Apart from its other effects, menstruation affects athletes and sometimes negatively affects their mental health as well. Menstruation affects the physical performance of athletes in a huge way as a result of symptoms such as cramps, back pain, headaches, and bloating. Furthermore, statistics state that 75% of athletes experience negative side effects due to their menstrual cycle. Adding to these physical issues is the lack of acceptance of people who menstruate, especially in the field of sports, which hugely impacts the mental health of athletes. Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. During their menstrual cycle, athletes undergo a lot of stress especially when they are participating in events. The stigma of menstruation and the lack of acceptance of menstruators in sports also discourages athletes and therefore affects their confidence and mental health. The perception that people who menstruate cannot participate in sports undermines the ability and the confidence the athletes may have, indirectly affecting their physical performance as well as their mental health.

Research objective

The objective of this research article was to understand how the menstrual cycle affects an athlete’s mental health and their ability to perform well or participate in their specific sport.

Research methodology

As a part of our social impact project at TribesforGOOD, we students undertook secondary research to understand and analyse the connection between the menstrual health of people in sports and their mental health.

The Relationship Between Menstruation, Physical Health, and Mental Health of Athletes

While on their menstrual cycle or periods, women suffer several physical, psychological, and behavioural symptoms that are often a result of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Approximately 75% of women are affected by PMS and may experience headaches, abdominal cramps, bloating, fatigue, anxiety, high levels of stress, or a combination of similar symptoms. These symptoms vary from mild to so severe that some women take a break from work for a few days. While this is difficult to deal with for women in general, it has an even greater impact on female athletes who often have to go through routines of rigorous training and physical activities on a daily basis. In these cases, severe symptoms of PMS can prevent them from competing at their full potential. Many sports companies, especially in India, do not provide sufficient support for women on their periods. This is mainly because of the taboo around menstruation that can deeply restrict a person’s potential and abilities which may be one of the reasons why only 29% of Indian women take part in sports. Another issue with sports institutes is the colour choice of the uniforms. White clothing is a major barrier for women in sports. For example, as Catherine Whitaker had recently mentioned, the all-white uniforms in the Wimbledon championship have been extremely “stressful” for the female athletes and degraded their performance. This issue is not talked about or is known to many people but some sports women have been trying to talk about it in interviews in an attempt to spread awareness and change perceptions.

Anju Bobby George from Kerala is known as the champion of the long jump as she has won 3 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals at competitions between 2002 and 2007. In 2002, during the Indo-World Championships, she got her period just before her turn and due to cramps and weakness, lost out on bagging a medal. This happened again in 2006 at the Commonwealth Games. “I lost 2 big long jump competitions because of it, but could never tell anyone that”, she mentioned in a phone interview. “I was in top form in every other way, but the period made me feel weaker and there was nothing I could do about it,” said George. “After the events, many people criticised my performance but this is not something I could ever tell them.” Her success was limited due to the fact that she could not share her menstrual issues given the culture in India. Similarly, Annu Rani spoke up about period problems.

A potential rising star in the field of athletics, Annu Rani experienced period cramps on the day she created a stunning, record-breaking performance in javelin, at the IAAF world athletic championship last year.  “I was in a lot of pain that day, but it was an Olympic qualifying event and I knew I had to give it my best. At one point in the day, I was crying in pain and couldn’t pull myself out of bed. During competitions, we are not even allowed to take medication to deal with the pain. I just had to pull it together and give it my all.” Such experiences are a common occurrence amongst female athletes in India. Many believe that this is an issue that can and needs to be resolved including Saumya Khullar, who shared her opinions on this issue. 

Saumya Khullar, who does business with the Boxing Federation of India, can see a large change in how periods and performance have changed in terms of understanding and support given to athletes. However, she says there is still “a long way to go”. The sensitivity towards periods is a big issue that has not improved in her 11 years with the BFI and Saumya thinks that “we need to sensitise not just the male coaches but the whole ecosystem around athletes” in order to achieve true equal treatment for all menstruating athletes.

Apart from the physical discomforts and issues related to periods, there is the impact on a person’s mental health as well. During periods, hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone can affect the brain as well. This can take the form of stress or anxiety over spotting on uniforms (which is especially true for the traditionally white uniforms of horse-riding and tennis) or fears of poor performance due to severe menstrual cramps. PV Sindu, the famed badminton player, also commented on this saying “At times you can’t play and want to give up. But the pain also comes from your mental side”. Sindu also emphasised the importance of staying “mentally fit and strong” for athletes. 

Another well known athlete that has spoken up about this issue is Aditi Mutatkar, an Indian shuttler. She stated that the team’s coach had allowed girls to wear coloured shorts when they were on their periods, but that the male athletes were not informed about this. Therefore, they called out the females for “breaking rules” and “tradition.” This mentally drained the female athletes, only because the coaches refused to educate the men on why the females wore coloured shorts. She stated, “Tradition is fine, but if 50% of players are not comfortable, you should be listening to them. Tradition is not green grass and white clothes. It’s the players.”

Furthermore, there is additional pressure on trans or other non-female menstruators who have to deal with twice the usual stigma and intolerance when on their periods. Many people, especially in India, see periods as a taboo and for non-female menstruators the stress of being shamed over leakage (which could reveal more about their personal lives that ideally want to share) can distract them from their game, thus affecting their performance negatively. 

Conclusion

Through our research, we can conclude that an athlete’s mental health and their ability to perform well in sports is heavily interlinked with menstruation and taboos surrounding it. Through multiple examples referenced above, we can better relate to the connection of menstruation with sports and the issues female athletes have to deal with on a periodic basis. Although athletes have now started speaking up about this issue, there is insufficient attention and acknowledgement of the issue which shows that there is quite some work that needs to be done towards addressing this. Athletes are discouraged by the stigma associated with menstruation and the lack of acceptance of menstruators in sports, which has an adverse effect on their self-esteem and mental health. The idea that women who menstruate cannot participate in sports undercuts the athletes’ capacity and self-assurance, which may have an indirect impact on both their physical and emotional well-being. 

References:

About the Authors:

Vidhi Sood Grade 9 United World College of South East Asia

Vedant Dashore, Grade 11 The International School Of Bangalore

Keya Sanghvi, Grade 11 Oberoi International School, Mumbai

Ayushi Gothal, Grade 11 Singapore International School, Mumbai

Aishani Sinha, Grade 9 The International School Bangalore

The authors are TribesforGOOD students advocating for gender justice  through the Global Challenges & Social Justice program.

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