Menstruation and cycling have a complicated history. Not that long ago, professional cycling was seen as largely a man’s domain, so little attention was ever paid to female health. In recent years, the status of women’s cycling has grown, but the conversation around health still had a way to go – not having a period at all was seen by some as a badge of honour, a sign you were lean and light, rather than a cause for concern.
Fast forward to now, though, and the growing focus on women’s sport has also helped to improve and amplify the conversation and understanding around women’s health, be that periods, pregnancy or anything else.
What are menstrual disorders?
‘Menstrual disorder’ is a wide, very generalised term that we can use to describe a whole host of problems that may be experienced by people born female, relating generally to their period, menstrual cycle, female hormones, or reproductive organs.
These disorders can be anything from unexplained, irregular or heavy periods (menorrhagia), to more specific and diagnosable problems like endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), fibroids and adenomyosis.
If you don’t know what any of those words mean, or the specifics of the conditions, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. More than one in 10 women suffer from some kind of condition relating to their period, and at least 30% of reproductive-age women experience some kind of irregularity, but period health – or poor period health – is still an under-researched, under-discussed and often misunderstood topic.
So what are these conditions, and what do we know about how they affect women, particularly athletes? Whilst research is still sparse – and we’ll get…
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