Athletes call for more understanding of women's health

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Conversations around the menstrual cycle are increasing in women's sport, but athletes still face many challenges when it comes to managing their periods.

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00:00 When Aussie Stingers water polo player Keisha Gophers lost her period, she thought it was a good thing.

00:07 Something I didn't have to think about, some hassle I didn't have to really worry about,

00:11 and I actually didn't get my period for nine months and didn't seek any advice,

00:15 waited for it to come back and then it did. But I definitely do not recommend that.

00:19 When I probably wasn't eating enough and was put on a pretty low calorie meal plan,

00:23 I fully lost my period altogether and that's sort of, now I understand,

00:28 one of the first signs that you're not feeling properly and it's not a healthy goal to have to try and lose your period.

00:34 A regular menstrual cycle can be an important marker of health, but it's not the same for everyone.

00:40 And we really encourage our female athletes to get to know what is normal for them

00:45 and also see if that fits into what is normal generally.

00:49 More athletes are now tracking their periods on apps to tailor their training around different stages of their cycle.

00:56 And if you have an app like that, don't use it because it's not accurate.

01:01 We know that generalising advice around time of cycle and training has no scientific validity.

01:09 Dr White says it's important for athletes to monitor their own cycles

01:13 and make adjustments based on their specific needs.

01:17 There are practical considerations for athletes who menstruate too.

01:21 We're kind of aware, oh no, I don't want any blood to come onto my shorts,

01:24 especially if we're in our white jerseys, we're wearing white, it's a bit different when we're wearing the darker uniforms.

01:29 But we also joke about it, like, oh, can you make sure you're checking me throughout half times or timeouts.

01:35 There's agreement that education around the topic is improving, but more can be done.

01:40 Educating male coaches, helping them understand and how they can ask the right questions to encourage that conversation

01:49 because I think really young athletes would find it quite difficult.

01:54 Conversations that can benefit everyone in the long run.

01:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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