Menstruation shouldn't be another hurdle female athletes have to overcome
Education, accessibility crucial to eliminating stigma many feel playing sports
When I was in grade six at Burton Ettinger Elementary School in Halifax, I was very good at high jump. My steps and run up were strong and I could contort myself to leap over the bar. That was also the time that my 12-year-old body went through "the change." Yes, the devastating effects of puberty hit and not only was my back sore, I dealt with overwhelming cramps and bloating.
I remember asking my mom why a merciful God would subject women to this. The worst part was not only being young, it was also feeling ashamed about a situation that is normal and natural. I was too embarrassed to tell my gym teacher, Mrs. Tokaryk, that I was feeling uncomfortable and I was so anxious about leaking through my neon spandex shorts. I had previously beaten the qualifying standard to get to the city finals but on this day, it wasn't going to happen. Mrs.Tokaryk looked visibly annoyed as my run up was slower and I pretended to giggle, veered and purposely botched the jump. I felt horrible inside and even worse when my best friend whispered to me after class, "What's going on? I know you can make that jump!" I never excelled in high jump but I also never forgot that moment.
As I continued to play sports my whole life, I managed "the curse" with the same jokes, quiet fatigue, and covering up my physical pain like every other woman or girl.
But what about professional athletes, who must use their bodies to make a living? They can't negotiate to work from home and log in on the computer with a hot water bottle on their abdomen as I have the privilege of doing some days.
Women and non-binary people have had tales to tell about their menstrual cycles since time immemorial. For athletes, amateur and professional, some of the obstacles are the same.
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Information from the recently released Rally Report by Canadian Women and Sport said that "nearly half of girls aged 13 to 18 feel that their menstrual cycle negatively influences their sport and physical activity participation." Girls reported they experience lower energy levels and manage pain and cramps. In addition to the physical effects, many feel self-conscious and are worried about leaking and staining, which becomes a distraction from playing.
We aren't too long past the time when feminine hygiene products sponsoring women's sport was not considered because periods were taboo. Why is something so banal treated like it's something to be ashamed of?
Carly Jackson is a goaltender with the Toronto Sceptres of the PWHL. Jackson told me that the first time they got her period was a difficult experience.
"I was trying out for a boys team when I got mine and that was because I was in my own private girls locker room, which was a closet," Jackson recalled. "My bathroom was an outdoor porta-potty that was shared with construction workers and that was when I got my period for the first time.
"I actually scrambled and I went into the public bathroom and the dispensers in there were empty. And so I was thinking okay, what did my mom tell me and working through it that way."
Jackson, along with WNBA player Kia Nurse, talked about the necessity of education and accessibility of products. As athletes, their words hold a lot of weight. One — Greta Meyer, a former lacrosse player at Stanford University — even went so far as to start her own company. She co-founded a new brand of tampons called Sequel, a brand specifically for athletes having their period.
"I'm running down the field, I don't want to have this leakage and this distraction," Meyer said. "With my teammates, it was often a question, 'Can you check me?' And that's common amongst a lot of female athletes."
There still needs to be infrastructure and facilities that support athletes during their cycle.
One basic thing that was mentioned at the Rally Report launch was the lack of garbage cans in bathrooms, and coaching and support staff having period supplies on hand.
"One of the biggest things I loved in college was that our trainers — male or female — would always have products for us and that is a huge difference-maker," Jackson said. "No matter how experienced you are with it, you forget sometimes. So to have products no matter if you're on a men's team, women's team, if you're a trainer, to have some products is something to budget for."
As a professional basketball player, there are understandings like uniform accommodation and not putting women in white shorts or uniforms, and even research connecting the menstrual cycle to many issues including nutrition, and injuries.
"Once I did my knee [ACL tear] and all that, there was a lot more conversation about kind of understanding," Nurse said. "And then when I got a new nutritionist, it was the same thing, like, here's how you eat. You know, the things you need to add more into your diet on those weeks. And so I think there is definitely more research and conversations around it. It's being able to educate young people about it."
There is new research on injuries and periods but research alone isn't enough. Nurse said practical education is important at all stages for coaches, trainers and athletes. Staff should be educated and athletes should feel comfortable enough to broach the subject if required.
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As a youth player, Nurse had a woman on the coaching staff and it made things a lot easier. But we know the majority of coaches in women's sport are men. For example, only 26 per cent of Canadian university women's teams have women as coaches.
As athletes get older, perhaps they are more likely to feel confident to discuss their period with coaching staff irrespective of gender. But younger girls are not there yet. According to the Rally Report one in five girls aged 13 to 18 reports that sport and physical activity positively affects their menstrual health. These things are important to understand as athletes develop.
But there is a gap between knowledge and practicality. Shouldn't knowing more about your athletes physical makeup be part of the job description? A physician friend of mine made an excellent point: "If you don't know basic anatomy, should you be coaching women? It's like not knowing how knees work."
I think about all the ways a period can affect athletes performance and it is absolutely relevant.
While there has been more research on menstrual cycles and athletes speaking up about it, there should be less awkwardness and more pragmatism when it comes to bodies, bleeding and sport.
"I actually feel now that I'm the most powerful when I'm on my period," Jackson said." It's often talked about that, oh you're going to feel not like yourself, you're going to deal with a lot of challenges. But there's also a flip side of positivity and speaking about it in a positive way that I think could change and put more of a positive connotation on it aside from something that's limiting or negative."
The most natural cycle doesn't have to be negative. Knowing how to navigate and having the tools to do so, is essential. If we are going to amplify women's sport, we need to also empower ourselves to learn more, be it that time of the month or not.
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