Mirabai Chanu says she lost Olympic medal due to periods. Here’s how athletes manage menstruation

Indian weightlifter, Mirabai Chanu, was denied the glory of an Olympic medal due to her periods. After finishing fourth in the women’s 49 kg event at the Paris Olympics recently, she admitted she was “feeling weak” as she was on the third day of her period.

Paris Olympics boasts of achieving gender parity, meaning it has an equal number of female and male competitors. By being open about her menstruation, the Indian weightlifter has sparked a conversation.

Chanu’s incident has put the spotlight on how menstruation can affect an athlete’s performance. While several sportswomen have opened up about how periods impacted their game, not enough research has been done on the topic.

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Let’s take a closer look.

Female athletes talk about periods

In 2016, Chinese swimmer Fu Yuanhui, who missed the podium in the 4x100-metre medley relay women final at the 2016 Rio Games told China’s state-run broadcaster CCTV, “Actually, my period started yesterday evening.”

“That’s why I feel very weak and tired, but this is not an excuse. At the end of the day, I simply did not swim very well,” Fu said, earning praise on social media for breaking the taboo by speaking about periods publicly.

Speaking to Cosmopolitan in 2017, six-time Olympic medalist and former American gymnast Aly Raisman said she had to manage her period pain during competitions as there was no other option.

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“When you’re really nervous, you have butterflies in your stomach, and you have your period, it’s just not a good combination,” she said at the time. “You just kind of have to keep going” because “you can’t tell the judges you want to compete tomorrow or wait a few days.”

Israeli marathon runner Lonah Chemtai Salpeter said her period cramps were so bad at the Tokyo Olympics that she had to stop to take a break during her race.

US rugby player Ilona Maher recently said in a TikTok video that she was not expecting her period, but still carried “like 50 tampons, and five pairs of period panties” to the Paris Olympics.

On Thursday (August 8), China’s Wu Yanni finished sixth in the 100 metres hurdles repechage, with her coach blaming her periods for impacting her performance.

How menstruation affects athletes

Menstruation is complex. The menstrual cycle consists of four phases: menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase.

According to The Conversation article, the cycle can entail symptoms like pain, cramps,  weakness, and loss of sleep, affecting performance during training and competition.

The piece also mentioned that fluctuations in the primary female sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone due to the changing phases of the menstrual cycle have been linked to inflammation, metabolism, muscle activation and body composition.

Inflammation rises at the time of ovulation when the ovary releases an egg, and peaks during menstruation. “This peak coincides with lower perceived performance among many female athletes,” as per The Conversation.

A recent study, conducted by researchers from UCL and the University of Bath, involving football players of the Women’s Super League (WSL) found that these sportswomen were six times more likely to get a muscle injury during the pre-menstrual phase. The risk of experiencing an injury was five times more during the early-mid luteal phase compared to when they were on their period.

The luteal phase begins after ovulation and ends when progesterone reaches its peak levels.

The study also revealed that about two-thirds of these elite footballers believed that menstruation negatively affected their performance.

A 2021 research on female footballers had discovered that fluctuations in female sex hormones can affect certain tissues, such as muscles, tendons and ligaments. There was an 88 per cent higher chance of muscle and tendon injury during the late follicular phase, which is when the brain tells the ovaries to prepare an egg.

British Olympic athlete Eilish McColgan told BBC Sport in 2019 that she had to withdraw from a race in Rome a year before when she got her period and pulled her hamstring shortly after. She said there was “no doubt in my mind it was all connected”.

Women are also more prone than men to suffer from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. Some studies suggest this could be due to the menstrual cycle.

The amount of bleeding is also a concern.

Heavy periods, or menorrhagia, can increase fatigue and affect the athlete mentally.

“Within the first days of periods, levels of oxytocin, a hormone which keeps you positive and in peak condition, dip. Accompanying blood loss results in extreme tiredness, called period fatigue,” Dr Priyanka Sharma, gynaecologist at Fortis, Mohali, told Indian Express.

“This condition is associated with low oxygen, which can result in lactic acid accumulation and lead to muscle fatigue, in turn affecting the athlete’s performance,” she added.

Excessive exercise could also lead to amenorrhoea, which is when the body stops experiencing periods. This has been associated with cardiovascular disease and decreased bone health, noted CBC.

Periods influence women’s mental health, leading to increased anxiety, mood swings, and so on. Heavier bleeding, unexpected menstruation and longer cycles may cause distraction, impacting an athlete’s performance.

How do athletes manage periods?

Some athletes monitor their menstrual cycles through period tracker apps to ensure they can adjust their training. English football player Fran Kirby said in an interview previously that she, along with her team, uses the “Fit For Women” monitoring app to track their cycle and train accordingly.

Many female athletes also take birth control pills to delay or “pause” their period. But hormonal contraceptives like birth control pills come with their own side effects, including nausea, weight gain, mood changes, and heightened risk of blood clots, Dr Geetu Gaba, gynaecologist at Manipal Hospital, Dwarka told Indian Express.

“Some athletes may experience changes in their performance or physical condition due to these side effects,” she added.

Experts suggest athletes should take care of their health during periods and ensure they get proper rest.

“During menstruation, athletes should take care to ensure adequate rest and recovery. They should listen to their bodies and allow extra rest if needed. This can help manage fatigue and maintain energy levels,” Dr Astha Dayal, director, obstetrics and gynaecology, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, told India Today.

Staying hydrated and having a balanced diet could also alleviate some painful symptoms.
“Consuming foods high in iron (like leafy greens, red meat, and legumes) helps prevent anaemia, which can be exacerbated by heavy periods. Staying well-hydrated can help reduce bloating and cramps,” Dr Gaba was quoted as saying by Indian Express.

Performance coaches can also play a role in helping athletes manage their training effectively when they are on their periods. As The Conversation mentioned “performance coaches must consider athletes’ needs and ensure they’re prepared for competition, while minimising the risk of injury and menstrual discomfort. Coaches should also ensure athletes maintain adequate nutrition for both competition and to support their menstrual cycle.”

With inputs from agencies