Loles Vives was twelve when she first began menstruating. “Go to the shower. If they tell you not to, don’t mind it”, her sister advised. In the late 1960s many myths surrounded the period, including the idea that baths should be avoided to prevent blood clots. That afternoon she had a track and field competition. “You’re going to break your record today. Your period will help you run faster”, her mother predicted. She did break the record. Today, although myths and taboos about menstruation have diminished, research on its impact on high performance remains surprisingly limited.
“Because this concerns women, interest in study has been scarce. When someone complained during a competition, it was seen as a sign of weakness and used to argue against playing certain sports.” She has continued to compete and recently claimed the over sixty five longitude title at the World Masters, remaining active in athletics. As a sports biologist and nutrition expert, she notes that progress has been made in the last decade and a half, but much work still lies ahead to understand how to respond appropriately.
A similar view comes from Lluís Cortés. He recalls that the approach used in major competitions has shifted dramatically. The former Barça women’s coach and current head coach of the Ukrainian women’s team explains that eighteen years ago athletes often hid their period from teammates. Now there is more information and better preparation, and being open about a physiologic process that can affect athletic performance is no longer taboo in Spain.
A taboo only half broken
In Ukraine the issue remains more sensitive, while Barça has moved toward openness. The Barcelona club treats the topic as a normal part of training rather than a stigma. It is also a cultural matter that can affect how freely it is discussed in different contexts.
Barça launched a pioneering program through its Innovation Center to study the phases of menstruation. For four years, female Barça players complete a daily questionnaire about their cycle, and weekly visits collect blood and saliva samples to map the frequency and rhythm of their cycles.
Each player exhibits a unique pattern, and some cycles have been irregular for months, making estimates challenging. Managing twenty four players is inherently complex, though the experiences of two athletes with particularly severe cycles were noted by Cortés. In training, adjustments are made when disruption arises, often treating such moments like a wildcard rather than a total overhaul.
Knowledge of menstrual timing is essential when coaching a female athlete says Vives. She notes that coaching interventions adjust according to the phase of the cycle. When menstruation begins, hormone levels are low and training load is often reduced. In the follicular phase right after the period, strength training can be more effective. Ovulation brings looser muscles and higher injury risk, making that period potentially dangerous. The luteal phase can support cardiovascular work if fertilization does not occur.
Every woman is a world
Some athletes use birth control pills ahead of major events to reduce bleeding or stomach discomfort during peak competition. Every woman is a world, and experiences vary widely; some do not notice symptoms, while others endure significant changes from month to month. One example is Marta Perarnau, a former footballer who has faced premenstrual syndrome and bloating, sometimes relying on ibuprofen for pain.
There remains a lack of robust scientific evidence for drastic measures, notes Vives, who cites recent work from researchers at McMaster University in Canada and Manchester Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. She suggests that if the same regulations affected men, the issue would have attracted far more research attention.