In celebration of Mothers Day, we are going to have a month full of blog posts about the female athlete. Enjoy!
First up, the menstrual cycle.
A widely researched and sensitive aspect of women’s health that necessitates consideration when building a training program for the female athlete. As most of you well know, the hormone profile of a female and the presence of the menstrual cycle brings an array of factors that can negatively impact on training and performance.
Symptoms such as muscle aches, abdominal cramps and bloating, fatigue, low mood/mental health considerations, poor sleep, elevated respiratory rate and heart rate, and susceptibility to iron deficiency can hinder athletic progression when not considered or addressed. Everyone’s experience is different, however if menstruation and hormone related symptoms are severely impacting on your quality of life, we highly recommend consulting with your GP and a women’s health physiotherapist, who are passionate about assisting women to overcome these symptoms.
At other times of the female hormone cycle, performance may even be positively influenced. In the first half of the menstrual cycle, oestrogen levels are elevated. Oestrogen helps to metabolise fat stores preferentially compared to carbohydrates. This can produce a ‘carbohydrate sparing’ effect, or in other words helps to boost endurance performance. Additionally, the presence, absence or changes in menstruation patterns can be important indicators for ‘overtraining’ and can guide us in moderating training load appropriately.
Understanding your cycle is important for optimising your training schedule and performance. It can assist us to plan appropriately, enabling you to successfully complete key sessions and recover well.
Tracking the menstrual cycle and understanding the physiological effects on your endurance performance and training capability is extremely useful. A good coach (and yes, even a male coach with a good understanding of female athlete physiology – even just actively discussing this topic goes a long way!) is a great tool to help you with your athletic pursuits.
Words: Ryley Pasquali, with input from Chloe Conroy (Women’s Health Physiotherapist)