Elite female football players’ perception of the impact of their menstrual cycle stages on their football performance. A semi-structured interview-based study

Read, Phoebe; Mehta, Ritan; Rosenbloom, Craig; Jobson, Elena; Kryger, Katrine Okholm

doi:10.1080/24733938.2021.2020330

Cited by 16 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Especially among natural MC rowers, the observed phase pattern seems to reveal an optimal physical and psychological window occurring around the fertile period. This is important to highlight because when discussing MC with athletes/staff, the discussion is geared towards the potential impairments for female athletes, associated with a negative perception of the menstrual phases (Findlay et al, 2020;Read et al, 2021). We highlighted here a potential cyclic upside in the middle of the MC.…”

Section: Self-reported Performance and Coaches' Expertisementioning

confidence: 93%

“…Previous studies investigated the perception of performance during the menses through semi-structured interviews among elite rugby (Findlay et al, 2020) and football players (Read et al, 2021). The majority of the players (ranging from 50 up to 100%) perceived their training and competition performances to be negatively impacted during menses, mostly related to the symptoms perceived.…”

Section: Self-reported Performance and Coaches' Expertisementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Also, the performance evaluated in a laboratory setting may not reflect the multifactorial traits of performance and is hardly feasible on a regular basis to monitor elite athletes' training performance and progression (Meignié et al, 2021). In addition, previous studies showed that MC-related symptoms may be common among elite women athletes (Martin et al, 2018;Findlay et al, 2020), which are often perceived by them as an impairment to their performances (Findlay et al, 2020;Read et al, 2021). However, the effect of MC on daily training performances has not been investigated before.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive phases’ effect on elite rowers’ training, performance and wellness

Antero

Golovkine²,

Niffoi³

et al. 2023

Front. Physiol.

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Objectives: To investigate the effect of menstrual cycle (MC) and hormonal contraception (HC) phases in elite rowers training, performance and wellness monitoring.Methods: Twelve French elite rowers were follow-up for 4,2 cycles on average in their final preparation for the Olympics and Paralympics Games in Tokyo 2021 through an on-site longitudinal study based on repeated measures. Daily self-reported evaluation using Likert rating scales of wellness (sleep quality, fitness, mood, injuries’ pain), menstrual symptoms and training parameters (perceived exertion and self-assessment of performance) were collected (n = 1,281) in parallel to a coach evaluation of rowers’ performance (n = 136), blinded to theirs MC and HC phases. Salivary samples of estradiol and progesterone were collected in each cycle to help to classify the MC into 6 phases and HC into 2–3 phases depending on the pills’ hormone concentration. A chi-square test normalized by each rower was used to compare the upper quintile scores of each studied variable across phases. A Bayesian ordinal logistic regression was applied to model the rowers’ self-reported performance.Results: Rowers with a natural cycle, n = 6 ( + 1 amenorrhea) evaluate their performance and wellness with significant higher score indices at the middle of their cycle. Top assessments are rarer at the premenstrual and menses phases, when they more frequently experience menstrual symptoms which are negatively correlated with their performance. The HC rowers, n = 5, also better evaluate their performance when taking the pills and more frequently experience menstrual symptoms during the pill withdrawal. The athletes self-reported performance is correlated with their coach’s evaluation.Conclusion: It seems important to integrate MC and HC data in the wellness and training monitoring of female athletes since these parameters vary across hormonal phases affecting training perception of both athlete and coach.

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Section: Self-reported Performance and Coaches' Expertisementioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Self-reported Performance and Coaches' Expertisementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive phases’ effect on elite rowers’ training, performance and wellness

Antero

Golovkine²,

Niffoi³

et al. 2023

Front. Physiol.

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“…Previous research has shown that symptoms related to the MC affect the performance level and wellbeing of many female athletes in various ways (6,(13)(14)(15)(16). For example, MC disturbance is one of the most well-known signs of Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S), which can impair athlete performance negatively (e.g., increased risk of injury, decreased level of strength and endurance, and reduced training response) (17).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given that many previous studies have urged for educational efforts, there is a lack of research that have explored the results of such interventions. Furthermore, previous studies have mainly focused on senior athletes [e.g., (15,18,19)] and athletes in individual sports [e.g., (6,11,20)]. Since the JST is a critical stage in the talent development process (2,3) and that the MC may affect the performance level and wellbeing (6,(13)(14)(15)(16), it is crucial to explore the experiences of MC communication among junior athletes and their coaches in team sports as well.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“I hardly have a problem […] I have my period quite rarely too”: Female football players’ and their coaches’ perceptions of barriers to communication on menstrual cycle

Bergström

Rosvold²,

Sæther³

2023

Front. Sports Act. Living

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IntroductionSymptoms related to the menstrual cycle (MC) affect the performance level and health of female athletes in various ways. Previous research has reported MC symptoms such as pain, mood disturbance, reduced coordination and competition distraction as well as diminished performance levels and an increased injury risk among female elite athletes. Despite this, the coach-athlete communication related to the female hormonal cycle is limited. The aim of the present study was to explore the perceptions of MC communication in a group of junior elite football players and their male coaches in a case study of one youth football team in a specific club in Norway.MethodsThe study used a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews. In total, 8 female junior elite players (aged 16-20) from a Norwegian football team and 2 of their male coaches participated in the study.ResultsThe data analysis revealed two main communication barriers: 1. interpersonal barriers (e.g., false assumptions about the coach/athletes and social discomfort) and 2. knowledge barriers (e.g., unaware/perceptions of insufficient knowledge levels).DiscussionAs the players seemed to be unaware of their insufficient MC knowledge (e.g., failed to see a connection between the MC and their health and performance level), the coaches perceived their knowledge as insufficient and coped mainly by outsourcing MC communication to female staff and apps. Hence, the MC communication was hindered by both the athletes and the coaches (e.g., mutual avoidance). In line with previous research, this study supports that there is a need for developing effective strategies to overcome the interpersonal barriers and knowledge gaps.

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Inconsistencies in the perceived impact of the menstrual cycle on sport performance and in the prevalence of menstrual cycle symptoms: A scoping review of the literature

Oester,

Norris,

Scott

et al. 2024

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport

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Elite female football players’ perception of the impact of their menstrual cycle stages on their football performance. A semi-structured interview-based study

Abstract: https://research.stmarys.ac.uk/ TITLE Elite female football players' perception of the impact of their menstrual cycle stages on their football performance. A semi-structured interview-based study.

Cited by 16 publications

References 43 publications

Menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive phases’ effect on elite rowers’ training, performance and wellness

Menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive phases’ effect on elite rowers’ training, performance and wellness

“I hardly have a problem […] I have my period quite rarely too”: Female football players’ and their coaches’ perceptions of barriers to communication on menstrual cycle

Inconsistencies in the perceived impact of the menstrual cycle on sport performance and in the prevalence of menstrual cycle symptoms: A scoping review of the literature

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