Women's Football Hub

So what is it?

The menstrual cycle is a series of hormonal fluctuations that occur as part of the female reproductive system. It begins and ends with menstruation (bleeding) and the usual duration of bleeding is 3-5 days but it can be shorter or longer for some.

Tracking

You’ve probably heard a lot about tracking of the menstrual cycle. It can provide insight into overall health (e.g if an athlete loses their period it could indicate that they are pregnant or possibly that they are not taking in enough calories and are at risk of reduced energy deficiency in sport or RED-s). For some athletes it may also have implications for performance, a study on elite rugby players in 2020 showed that 67% of them believed that their performance was impacted by their menstrual cycle with 33% stating that heavy bleeding was an issue that impacted them.

There may also be implications for injury, a recent study by Barlow et al, 2024 found that in a small sample of WSL players (n=26), the players were 6x more likely to get a muscle injury in the days leading up to their period (the luteal phase).

However it should also be noted that world records and personal bests have been set within all phases of the menstrual cycle and every athletes experience is individual. There is also a lot more research needing to be done and a 2024 systematic review by Hamed-Hamed et al noted that more high quality evidence is needed. However, if you are looking into tracking of the menstrual cycle this can be achieved via a simple period tracker like the one available at The Well HQ they’ve even got advice for coaches on this topic, or potentially a digital app (e.g FITR women). or for those who want to look at the whole team a coaching platform was launched by Orreco.

So what’s it like playing football on your period?

What can you do about it?

If you are looking for a general overview on periods including starting your period, period products (pads, tampons, menstrual cups & period underwear), period problems etc the UK NHS have you covered – Click here.

What about contraception?

High Performance Sport New Zealand have brought together a great webinar on contraception with Dr Megan Ogilvie and Dr Stacey Sims. They discuss types of contraception & hormonal vs non-hormonal options. They also discuss the impact on training, performance and recovery.

Ok so is there a document I can take back to my team?

AFC Leyton put together a document which looked at understanding the impact of the menstrual cycle in female football. It was written by Louise McGing and all credit should be given to her if you are sharing it.