Aquatic Athletes Open Up About Periods
- The Female Body
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
In a first-of-its-kind webinar, World Aquatics puts menstrual health on the elite sport agenda – featuring Olympians, performance experts, and real talk about periods.
A Global Stage for Women’s Health
World Aquatics has launched a global webinar series dedicated to women's health in sport – starting with one of the most under-discussed topics in performance: the menstrual cycle.
The session, held in July 2025, brought together Olympic champions Pernille Blume and Caroline Jouisse, alongside coach Tom Rushton and sport scientist Marine Dupuit, to talk openly about periods, stigma, and performance.
Their stories were a reminder that silence around menstruation continues even at the highest levels of sport - but that’s starting to change.
Why Periods Still Feel Like a Taboo
Despite increased awareness, 47% of webinar participants said stigma around menstruation still exists in sport. Many athletes reported feeling uncomfortable speaking to coaches or teammates about their cycle.
Jouisse reflected on navigating her own menstrual health without guidance:
“No one told me how my cycle could affect my body or performance. I had to learn everything on my own.”
Coach Tom Rushton emphasised that open dialogue is key:
“We can’t expect athletes to bring their best if we’re ignoring something that affects them every month.”
How Your Cycle Affects Performance
Different phases of the menstrual cycle can influence energy, mood, sleep, and recovery – yet many training plans still don’t reflect this.
Dupuit broke it down simply:
Menstruation: lower energy, higher fatigue
Follicular phase: improved strength and focus
Luteal phase: more mood swings, bloating, slower recovery
Tracking the menstrual cycle can help athletes adapt their training in a smarter, more sustainable way.
“If we don’t take these changes into account,” Dupuit said, “we’re not training the whole person.”
Tools to Tackle Symptoms
Understanding your cycle is one thing, but managing its impact is another. The webinar highlighted everyday strategies athletes can use to stay consistent through hormonal shifts.
Nutrition plays a key role. Anti-inflammatory foods (like berries, leafy greens, and oily fish), iron-rich options (like lentils, tofu, and red meat), and foods high in magnesium or tryptophan (like nuts, seeds, and bananas) can help ease cramps, stabilise mood, and support energy levels.
Therapeutic strategies, from heat therapy to gentle mobility, can help reduce pain while promoting a healthy sleep routine supports recovery during more challenging cycle phases.
These are small, manageable changes that don’t require major lifestyle shifts, but can make a meaningful difference to how athletes train and feel, week to week. However, coaches should take a more proactive approach by directly incorporating menstrual fluctuations into athletes’ training programmes.
Key Takeaways
Almost half of female athletes still experience stigma around their period
Cycle tracking can support personalised training and injury prevention
Education and communication are essential to support athletes' health and performance
Open conversations between athletes and coaches create safer, more informed sport environments
Menstrual literacy empowers women at all levels of physical activity
With better education for both coaches and athletes, menstrual health can become a routine part of performance planning – not a silent struggle.
Originally published by: World Aquatics
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