Female Athletes Break Taboos Around Menstrual Cycle in Sports
“We cannot be expected to have the regularity that men have on our purely physical performances.” Like a growing number of sportswomen, biathlete Julia Simon no longer hesitates to address the issue of the menstrual cycle, an intimate but essential subject.
“Yes, sometimes our legs are sore, sometimes they tremble, we can’t control it. Saying it is not complaining, it is just the reality of things and sometimes it is also an explanation,” said the three-time gold medalist at the Milan Cortina Games (individual, mixed relay, and women’s relay) in an interview with AFP on Monday.
“We cannot be asked to have the regularity that men have on our purely physical performances because we have a menstrual cycle, because we have more difficult moments,” she elaborated. “It may not be necessary to highlight that too much, but just to be aware of what it is to be a woman,” she said.
As a professional female boxer, when asked to summarize the management of her menstrual cycle approaching her fights, Marine Beauchamp responds: “What stress! Sometimes I don’t have my periods for two months and then of course they have to come on the day of the weigh-in!” she told AFP during a women’s boxing discovery event organized by the French Boxing Federation.
To encourage women’s participation in sports and break all taboos, the French Boxing Federation has partnered with one of its sponsors, Smoon, a menstrual underwear brand. “There are many issues that we can have in this period, and therefore we realize that periods are often a barrier to sports practice,” explained Marine Van den Bussche, co-founder of the brand.
Challenges Faced by Female Athletes
During the Milan-Cortina Games, figure skater Amber Glenn brought the issue into the spotlight by spontaneously discussing competing during her period. “I have my period right now, so it’s really difficult, especially when you have to perform in front of the whole world,” the American told France TV, explaining how it affected her physically and emotionally on the ice.
Like her, several sportswomen have recently spoken candidly about their menstrual cycles. American Tara Davis-Woodhall, Olympic and world champion in long jump, for example, recounted how she suffered “horrendous” pain on the morning of the 2025 Worlds qualifiers. Polish tennis player Iga Swiatek, former world No. 1, stated that managing menstruation represents “an integral element of sports practice.”
“It preoccupies us in our performance,” confirmed Marine Beauchamp. “In boxing, for example, there is weight management before a fight, and we all know that when we are pre-menstrual, we retain water and experience water retention,” she explained.
Progress and Challenges Ahead
These statements are welcomed and encouraged by Carole Magret, a gynecologist at INSEP, who is pleased that periods are starting to be considered a full-fledged element in performance. “The subject is certainly less taboo than five or ten years ago. Currently, we are increasingly recognizing the importance of addressing symptoms related to periods,” she explained, citing pain, heavy periods, weight gain, fatigue, loss of energy, irritability, abdominal bloating, and breast tenderness. “All these symptoms that occur during periods can impact sports performance.”
“Impact” or even discourage women from continuing sports practice, adds Evelyne Ciriegi, a board member of the French Boxing Federation. “In boxing, we only have 23% of female practitioners today, whereas in other sports it’s more like 35-40%. We still have a lot of work to do to get women involved.”
