Understanding female health in the athletes you coach.
I have created this guide because I am passionate about supporting the female health of young players and athletes in helping them to thrive.
The goal of this guide is to help you understand some of the challenges female players and athletes face whilst playing sport. I am not a healthcare professional and this guide comes purely from my own personal experience as a female in sport, and research I have done over the years.
As a coach you may or may not have noticed changes in energy levels, mood, injury recovery and performance at times in the female athletes you coach. To offer support you do not need to be a medical expert.
You can support your athletes if you:
- Understand the basics
- Create an environment where female health can be discussed
- Listen to the individual
- Avoid assumptions
- Make sensible, individualised adjustments when needed
- Encourage appropriate nutrition and recovery
- Recognise when a player may need additional support
The aim is not to coach around their cycle. The aim is to support and coach each individual and adapt their training when required.
I hope this guide helps you:
- Understand what happens during a menstrual cycle.
- Identify symptoms and wellbeing that may affect how your athletes perform.
- Understand how nutrition, training, recovery and physical load can influence their performance.
- Feel more confident in understanding female health challenges.
Their Cycle.
The menstrual cycle is a series of changes their body goes through as part of reproductive and hormonal function. It is commonly described in four stages:
Menstruation.
The period, the uterus is shed, causing menstrual bleeding.
Follicular phase.
The start of a period and continues until ovulation which supports the development of an egg.
Ovulation.
An egg is released from the ovary. It does not always happen on the same day of every cycle.
Luteal phase.
After ovulation, hormone levels change as the body prepares for pregnancy. If pregnancy does not occur, hormone levels fall and the cycle starts again.
Not all cycles are 28 days. Cycle length can vary and can change over time and effects everyone differently.
Their Experience.
They might experience:
- Light or heavy bleeding, Cramps, Back pain, Bloating
- Headaches, Breast tenderness, Fatigue
- Mood changes, Irritability, Low mood, Anxiety
- Reduced concentration, Reduced motivation
- Feeling emotionally overwhelmed and lacking confidence
Some athletes experience significant symptoms. Others experience very few.
Their cycle does not need to stop them from participating in sport, it is important we as coaches offer support and encourage them to attend their sporting sessions.
Some athletes may be effected by period poverty and struggle to have access to the products they need. For this reason some have low attendance at school and drop out of sports. I have attached links below if you would like more information about this, and offer support to those that may need the services.
Physical Load.
This is a key area which you as a coach can support. Strength, endurance, recovery, injury risk and performance ability may vary across their cycle. Hormonal cycles may effect strength and endurance. Some may suffer with certain symptoms affecting their training - for example, cramps, fatigue, poor sleep or changes in their mood. You can use this information via observation to help tailor your sessions. Their movement, balance, coordination, speed and agility may not be as high as their normal performance. This is important to be mindful of especially in situations such as trials and important sporting events.
When allocating playing positions you may need to consider their current performance. A normally stronger defender may not feel as confident in duals and not keen for much physical contact. An energetic winger may be in discomfort when running at speed so a slower paced role may be more suitable.
If an athlete tracks their cycle, symptoms and performance it can help to anticipate their energy peaks and dips. It can also help to prevent injuries. During their cycle they may be more prone to injury due to the different levels of hormones running through their body and muscles. This could cause over stretching and damage, making allowances and reducing expectations can help to lower the likelihood of sport related injuries such as ACL damage.
Diet and Nutrition.
The week before the cycle begins hunger can increase so athletes need to take care to keep themselves correctly fuelled with balanced meals. This may mean they need to break during longer training sessions. Their bodies can require more fluids and also need to take more comfort breaks. Some may suffer with light headiness or dizziness if blood sugars drop. Having bananas in the kit bag is a good snack to have available if needed.
Encourage your athletes to fuel their bodies with a balanced diet of:
- Carbohydrates for training fuel.
- Protein to support muscles and provide energy.
- Healthy fats, vegetables and fruit to provide a wide variety of vitamins and minerals.
- Plenty of fluids for hydration.
Female Health Essentials Kit.
Being caught out without any essentials can cause unnecessary stress on training and competition days. It is a really good idea to always have some essentials to hand in a kit bag which can be made available whenever someone is in need.
I have listed below the different products I keep stocked that covers a range of age group needs. This kit bag can be created for around £30 or less for one age group :
- Period products in date ( normally 5 years use by date) such as
tampons heavy, mid and light flow
sanitary towels heavy, mid and light flow.
- Spare underwear for different age sizes
- A small bag for used products where appropriate
- Spare shorts if possible for your age group.
- Snacks
When using away facilities a key consideration needs to cover the use of accessible toilets and clean changing facilities.
I coach female players and hear often that many young athletes leave playing sports they love as they get older. I am passionate in supporting female players so they can continue to remain playing the sports they enjoy.
I hope this guide along with the links below have helped to provide you with a better understanding around female health.
I have also created an athletes support guide and blog post which you can share with your players, athletes and wider teams network from the links below.
You will also find links to other support information below that you may find useful.
Jo
