Sports and Periods

By Shreya Iyengar

How do menstruating athletes deal with their periods? A question, I often ask myself whenever I end up watching a sports tournament. Being a menstruator myself, I am aware of the pain, reduced efficiency, and hormonal changes that women go through, but I had never heard about what sportspersons go through when they are menstruating.

A recent Telegraph Report states that in the test match held between the women's cricket team of India and England, half of the English team, and every second batter of the Indian team were on their periods.

The captain of the English team opened up about the anxiety the players feel while on their periods, especially due to the white jersey, which is a tradition in test cricket. She said that the taboo and shame attached to periods creeps into the players, especially with a dozen cameras monitoring every move.

The player also said that she was advised to take blood clotting medication which helps with heavy flow, pain etc., however she refused to take it because of the side effects that the medication is known to cause.

It is pretty evident that there's a huge research gap when it comes to women's health and menstruation. The physical health of the players is always discussed in the context of a male player, but when we talk about the physical and mental health of a female player, menstruation and related issues play a major role, and definitely deserve more attention in the research field than it does.

It's 2022, the taboo and shame associated with menstruation needs to go away.

It's high time we start having open conversations about menstruation, and especially in the sports context.