How do female athletes deal with their periods? (2023)

How do professional female athletes deal with periods?

Another common practice among sportswomen is taking birth control pills. In one study, about half of athlete respondents revealed that they were using hormonal contraceptives. Doing so helped them control the frequency of their cycle, its timing, and the intensity of menstrual bleeding.

A recent survey of elite athletes published in the journal PLOS found that 51 percent reported their menstrual cycle had an impact on their training and performance. One hypothesis is that women can lose a lot of blood, and iron, during their period, putting them into an anemic state, which would reduce endurance.

71% of the athletes felt worst just before the menstruation period, 62.2% of the athletes said that their performance was same during the menstruation, and 21.2% said that their performance got worse. Both in general and during the training the menstruation period of the athletes was found to be regular (p < . 01).

For example, 41%–66% of women athletes reported that their menstrual cycle negatively affects their training and sport performance (Bruinvels et al., 2017; Findlay et al., 2020).

Amenorrhea is a red flag that the body is not functioning to its full potential. Amenorrhea again can be due to exercising too much for your body, under-fueling, high stress, or a combination of these factors. Myth 2: Amenorrhea in athletes is unique to only endurance or high-level athletes.

Among elite athletes, contraceptives are commonly used both to prevent pregnancies and to manage menstrual cycles.

Either change your pad or tampon for a fresh one before the sweat session begins, or make sure you're wearing a pair of Super Leakproof Period Underwear to help absorb the flow.

Thankfully, you can still do activities such as running safely while menstruating. Exercising or performing many other kinds of physical activity, including running during your period, can actually help reduce discomfort and boost your mood. The fitness world is full of misconceptions.

When you combine under-fuelling with the demands of a strenuous running program, it causes a deficit and drain in your body. If this goes on for extended periods of time with multiple training seasons without rest phases, it can result in a loss of your cycle due to hormonal imbalance and the stress response.

It is known that female athletes underreport menstrual cycle disorders, with a prevalence of up to 40% in some studies [4]. Miller et al. found that 22% of athletes in lean-build sports would not report amenorrhea [12].

How do Olympic swimmers deal with periods?

Most competitive swimmers and other swimmers rely on tampons when it comes to managing their periods while swimming. And according to a recent Knix study, they're the second most popular period product in general. Tampons have the advantage of being familiar.

Yes, exercise can be very beneficial to you and your menstrual cycle in many ways! Overall activity and exercise helps regulate the menstrual cycle and flow, which also may equate to less cramping and lighter periods.

A menstrual cup is great for both low or high-impact sports. Choose a cup with medium firmness, like the Ruby Cup, and make sure you create a seal when you insert your cup before practicing any kind of sport. Also, get the right-size cup from the start by using our menstrual cup sizing guide.

The study used data from 14,000 female athletes on Strava. 78% of women say that exercise reduces the symptoms related to their menstrual cycle. Women report that moderate intensity exercise is most effective at reducing symptoms.

Intense exercise can interrupt the balance of hormones that drives your menstrual cycle. This can cause you to bleed when you are not on your period, have a lighter flow than normal, or stop having a flow at all. Young athletes, especially those who are eating very little, are well known to experience this.

But as frustrating as it can be to have your period coincide with your plans, there's no reliable way to stop your period for a single night after it's already started. You've probably come across all kinds of claims that doing this or taking that will stop your period on command.

There are several studies that conclude that people who exercise do not have more difficult deliveries (with respect to length of second stage, emergency c-section rate, perineal tearing) [5, 13-15].

Megan Roche, MD, a runner for HOKA ONE ONE and a coach at Some Work All Play, often sees athletes experience one to two weeks of fatigue after receiving an IUD. “Everyone is different,” she says, “but I often suggest that athletes plan a down week after IUD placement or get IUDs placed in the offseason.”

In sports, women don't get as much respect as men do. This has to do with the normalization of stereotypes that are in the sports industry. Many female athletes have to deal with more microaggressions and discrimination than male athletes do.

In general, tampons are better for those who are very active, as pads can be uncomfotable when you're running around and playing sports. They're more discreet.

How do you stop your period from leaking during sports?

In terms of the old pad or tampon debate, the answer is always whichever you feel most comfortable with. Yes, tampons might be a safe bet if you're constantly in motion, but with all the fancy new pad technology available today, pads are fine, too! You could experiment with both to see which one works best for you.

There's no scientific reason you should skip out on your workouts during your period. In fact, there's evidence that exercise can be helpful during this time. The bottom line is this: Continue with exercise, but back off on the intensity, especially if you're feeling fatigued.

Exercise can make a person feel like their flow is increasing. This usually happens because physical activity can help blood exit the uterus faster. It is important that a person prepares by wearing a tampon, pad, or menstrual cup designed for a heavier flow.

A high level gymnast usually doesn't start their period until at least 13, they just don't have enough body fat.

The thin layers of material, similar to a pad, is built right into the swimwear lining to collect and trap the blood from the menstrual flow. The swimwear can hold as much as two tampons but should be changed and cleaned at least every 12 hours.

“Most women bleed only 60 milliliters (about three to four tablespoons) over five whole days,” says Dr. Haughton. Even if you're free-flowing into the pool for five hours, there's no way that water is going to turn into the Red Sea with the amount of blood coming out of your body.

So does being on your period burn more calories or not? Typically, no. While experts largely agree that resting metabolic rates fluctuate during the menstrual cycle, the change is negligible. Given this minimal difference, most women will not burn many more calories than usual.

Does your body work harder on your period?

You may have a slightly higher RMR during the luteal phase before your period. Usually, the changes in metabolic rate aren't enough to increase calorie burn or require more calorie intake. Plus, some people have cravings or more hunger at this time, which may offset any slight increase.

Walking is an incredibly beneficial form of exercise you can do at any stage of your cycle. If you're used to running or power walking, it can be a good idea to reduce your cardio intensity during the menstrual phase by going for a gentle walk, or a slower-paced jog.

Most competitive swimmers and other swimmers rely on tampons when it comes to managing their periods while swimming. And according to a recent Knix study, they're the second most popular period product in general. Tampons have the advantage of being familiar.

The good news is that you can do whatever you want. Whether you wear a pad or tampon is up to you and what you are most comfortable with. While some women are more comfortable using tampons with exercise others prefer pads.

Use a tampon, sponge, or cup while swimming

If you can't or don't want to use a tampon or alternative product like a sponge or menstrual cup, you have a few options. If your flow is light, you can wear absorbent swimwear or a dark-colored suit to prevent stains.