---
title: Does PMS affect sports performance in female athletes? | Niyora
description: About half of female soccer athletes (47.32%) had PMS, and those with PMS felt their sports performance was noticeably affected. Athletes with more symptoms r
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-syndrome-and-perception-of-impact-on-sport-performance-from-2009/
---

- [Niyora](https://niyora.com/)
- [Research](https://niyora.com/research/)
- [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/)
- Does PMS affect sports performance in female athletes?

Survey study, 2009

# Does PMS affect sports performance in female athletes?

About half of female soccer athletes (47.32%) had PMS, and those with PMS felt their sports performance was noticeably affected. Athletes with more symptoms reported greater impact.

 Moderate study design

112 female indoor soccer athletes aged 18-31 in Brazil

## What they did

Cross-sectional study of 112 female indoor soccer athletes aged 18 to 31 years in Brazil. Researchers assessed PMS diagnosis and how much athletes felt it affected their sports performance.

## What they found

47.32% had PMS. Athletes with PMS felt 1.71 times more likely to experience performance impact compared to those without PMS. Symptoms affecting performance included depression, irritability, breast tenderness, trouble concentrating, back pain, and tiredness. Athletes with 6 to 9 symptoms had a risk ratio of 3.20 compared to those with fewer symptoms.

## What it means for you

PMS notably affects how female athletes perceive their sports performance, particularly those with more symptoms. This suggests PMS deserves attention in sports medicine. The study only included soccer athletes so may not apply to other sports.

47.32%

Had PMS

1.71

Risk ratio for performance impact

3.20

Risk ratio with 6 to 9 symptoms

## About the study

Original title Premenstrual syndrome and perception of impact on sport performance from brazilian indoor soccer athletes Authors Patrícia Aparecida Gaion, Lenamar Fiorese Vieira, Celene Maria Longo da Silva Journal LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) Year 2009 Study design Survey study Participants 112 What was tested None. Observational study of PMS and sports performance perception. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1590/1980-0037.2009v11n1p73](https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-0037.2009v11n1p73)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Menstrual cycle and mood](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-cycle-mood/)[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

Cohort study, 2026

Does the menstrual cycle phase affect how much physical activity women do?

Survey study, 2022

Do female athletes get enough knowledge and support about their period?

Study, 1995

Do women who exercise have fewer PMS symptoms?

Case-control study, 2026

Do women with PMS handle emotions differently at different times of the cycle?

Systematic review, 2023

How common are menstrual cycle problems and PMS or PMDD in female athletes?

Systematic review, 2012

Does the menstrual cycle cause negative mood, especially before your period?

Ask AI about this page

Copy prompt

ChatGPT

↗

Claude

↗

Perplexity

↗

Google AI Mode

↗

Grok

↗