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Elite female athletes’ experiences and perceptions of the menstrual cycle on training and sport performance

Natalie Brown Orcid Logo, Camilla Knight Orcid Logo, Laura J. Forrest (née Whyte)

Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, Volume: 31, Issue: 1

Swansea University Authors: Natalie Brown Orcid Logo, Camilla Knight Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1111/sms.13818

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was twofold (a) to examine elite female athletes’ experiences of their menstrual cycle, with a focus upon the impact on training and competition performance and (b) the openness of conversation pertaining to the menstrual cycle with coaching and support staff. Follow...

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Published in: Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
ISSN: 0905-7188 1600-0838
Published: Wiley 2020
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa55079
first_indexed 2020-08-27T09:53:16Z
last_indexed 2021-07-27T03:14:17Z
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spelling 2021-07-26T15:40:37.2552525 v2 55079 2020-08-27 Elite female athletes’ experiences and perceptions of the menstrual cycle on training and sport performance 22c0647f05ef81cb0ce67977c5efdfe4 0000-0003-2369-9881 Natalie Brown Natalie Brown true false 6c81176f7e92c7c04ff6cfb8f1a0ed60 0000-0001-5806-6887 Camilla Knight Camilla Knight true false 2020-08-27 EAAS The purpose of the current study was twofold (a) to examine elite female athletes’ experiences of their menstrual cycle, with a focus upon the impact on training and competition performance and (b) the openness of conversation pertaining to the menstrual cycle with coaching and support staff. Following receipt of institutional ethical approval, individual semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 17 elite female athletes (25.5 ± 4.7 years) from multiple sports. Results revealed athletes’ experiencing a natural menstrual cycle reported physical symptoms alongside mood disturbances and reduced motivation to train. The decision to actively control the menstrual cycle was often triggered by a desire to reduce the effect on competition, to lessen anxieties about making required weight or reduce distraction to manage during competition. Athletes indicated an openness to talk about the menstrual cycle to other females, however, there was variation in the comfort athletes experienced regarding talking to male coaches. Overall, the findings highlight the need to educate elite athletes and coaches on the menstrual cycle, considering it in the same light as other physiological functions in sport to improve health, well‐being, and performance. Furthermore, providing education on how to construct positive conversations, equipping individuals with the correct terminology, and confidence to talk about the menstrual cycle will reduce some reservations identified through improved knowledge and understanding. Journal Article Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports 31 1 Wiley 0905-7188 1600-0838 athletes, female, menstrual cycle, performance, symptoms 19 9 2020 2020-09-19 10.1111/sms.13818 COLLEGE NANME Engineering and Applied Sciences School COLLEGE CODE EAAS Swansea University 2021-07-26T15:40:37.2552525 2020-08-27T10:51:26.7623148 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, General and Mechanical Engineering - Sport and Exercise Sciences Natalie Brown 0000-0003-2369-9881 1 Camilla Knight 0000-0001-5806-6887 2 Laura J. Forrest (née Whyte) 3 55079__18053__48e011d8c51941fe9137ff56f936be7f.pdf 55079.pdf 2020-08-27T10:53:09.9602219 Output 337089 application/pdf Accepted Manuscript true 2021-09-02T00:00:00.0000000 false
title Elite female athletes’ experiences and perceptions of the menstrual cycle on training and sport performance
spellingShingle Elite female athletes’ experiences and perceptions of the menstrual cycle on training and sport performance
Natalie Brown
Camilla Knight
title_short Elite female athletes’ experiences and perceptions of the menstrual cycle on training and sport performance
title_full Elite female athletes’ experiences and perceptions of the menstrual cycle on training and sport performance
title_fullStr Elite female athletes’ experiences and perceptions of the menstrual cycle on training and sport performance
title_full_unstemmed Elite female athletes’ experiences and perceptions of the menstrual cycle on training and sport performance
title_sort Elite female athletes’ experiences and perceptions of the menstrual cycle on training and sport performance
author_id_str_mv 22c0647f05ef81cb0ce67977c5efdfe4
6c81176f7e92c7c04ff6cfb8f1a0ed60
author_id_fullname_str_mv 22c0647f05ef81cb0ce67977c5efdfe4_***_Natalie Brown
6c81176f7e92c7c04ff6cfb8f1a0ed60_***_Camilla Knight
author Natalie Brown
Camilla Knight
author2 Natalie Brown
Camilla Knight
Laura J. Forrest (née Whyte)
format Journal article
container_title Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports
container_volume 31
container_issue 1
publishDate 2020
institution Swansea University
issn 0905-7188
1600-0838
doi_str_mv 10.1111/sms.13818
publisher Wiley
college_str Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofscienceandengineering
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Science and Engineering
department_str School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, General and Mechanical Engineering - Sport and Exercise Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Aerospace, Civil, Electrical, General and Mechanical Engineering - Sport and Exercise Sciences
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description The purpose of the current study was twofold (a) to examine elite female athletes’ experiences of their menstrual cycle, with a focus upon the impact on training and competition performance and (b) the openness of conversation pertaining to the menstrual cycle with coaching and support staff. Following receipt of institutional ethical approval, individual semi‐structured interviews were conducted with 17 elite female athletes (25.5 ± 4.7 years) from multiple sports. Results revealed athletes’ experiencing a natural menstrual cycle reported physical symptoms alongside mood disturbances and reduced motivation to train. The decision to actively control the menstrual cycle was often triggered by a desire to reduce the effect on competition, to lessen anxieties about making required weight or reduce distraction to manage during competition. Athletes indicated an openness to talk about the menstrual cycle to other females, however, there was variation in the comfort athletes experienced regarding talking to male coaches. Overall, the findings highlight the need to educate elite athletes and coaches on the menstrual cycle, considering it in the same light as other physiological functions in sport to improve health, well‐being, and performance. Furthermore, providing education on how to construct positive conversations, equipping individuals with the correct terminology, and confidence to talk about the menstrual cycle will reduce some reservations identified through improved knowledge and understanding.
published_date 2020-09-19T02:12:05Z
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score 11.04748

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