--- title: Do athletes understand their menstrual cycle and how it affects their performance? description: Most athletes feel their menstrual cycle affects their performance, but most cannot correctly identify the different phases. Many feel tired or unmotivated du url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/is-menstrual-cycle-misunderstanding-a-bias-for-ergogenic-aids-use-a-cross-2024/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do athletes understand their menstrual cycle and how it affects their performance? Survey study, 2024 # Do athletes understand their menstrual cycle and how it affects their performance? Most athletes feel their menstrual cycle affects their performance, but most cannot correctly identify the different phases. Many feel tired or unmotivated during certain phases. Early or limited evidence 105 competitive female athletes from 12 different sports at regional to international level ## What they did A survey of 105 competitive female athletes from 12 sports asked about their understanding of the menstrual cycle and how they manage symptoms to improve performance. ## What they found Although 65.8% of athletes said they knew the menstrual cycle phases, only 53.5% could actually identify them. 60% felt unmotivated or unwilling to exercise during certain phases. 72.4% felt tired or experienced worse performance during certain phases, with the follicular phase most commonly reported. The use of nutritional aids seemed to be influenced by hormonal contraceptive use, feelings of fatigue, and the number of weekly workouts. ## What it means for you Athletes feel their menstrual cycle affects their performance but don't understand it well. This may lead them to use nutritional supplements without really understanding their cycle. The findings apply to competitive athletes only and may not represent all women. 105 competitive athletes 65.8% reported knowing menstrual cycle phases 72.4% felt tired or worse performance during certain phases ## About the study Original title Is menstrual cycle misunderstanding a bias for ergogenic aids use? A cross sectional study Authors Géssyca Tolomeu de Oliveira, Laura Hora Rios Leite, Hiago Leandro Rodrigues de Souza et al. Journal Cuadernos de Educación y Desarrollo Year 2024 Study design Survey study Participants 105 Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.55905/cuadv16n2-064](https://doi.org/10.55905/cuadv16n2-064) ## Topics [Fatigue and energy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-fatigue/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Diet and nutrition](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-diet/)[Athletes and sport](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-athletes/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2024 Are calorie tracking and eating disorders linked to menstrual problems in female athletes? Survey study, 2022 Do female athletes get enough knowledge and support about their period? Survey study, 2022 Do menstrual cycles and birth control affect female athletes' training and performance? Survey study, 2021 Does the menstrual cycle affect women's ability to train and compete? Survey study, 2025 What are menstrual cycle patterns in elite female basketball players? Case-control study, 2023 Does micronutrient intake differ between female athletes with and without PMS? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗