Systematic review, 2023
How common are menstrual cycle problems and PMS or PMDD in female athletes?
Menstrual cycle problems are common in female athletes, with dysmenorrhoea affecting about 32%. More athletes report symptoms during their period than in the days before.
What they did
Systematic review of 60 studies including 6,380 female athletes who were not using hormonal contraceptives. Researchers examined how common different menstrual cycle disorders and related symptoms are. Most studies assessed symptoms through self-report questionnaires.
What they found
Dysmenorrhoea (severe period pain) was the most prevalent menstrual disorder at 32.3%, ranging from 7.8% to 85.6% across studies. A wide range of prevalence was seen for all types of menstrual cycle disorders. Affective symptoms (mood symptoms) appeared more common than physical symptoms during the premenstrual phase. More athletes reported symptoms during initial days of menstruation compared to the premenstrual phase. Most studies were graded as moderate quality.
What it means for you
Menstrual problems are common in female athletes and deserve attention. Limited data exist on some conditions like anovulation and luteal phase deficiency. Most evidence comes from asking athletes to report their symptoms rather than medical testing.
6,380
athletes studied
60
studies reviewed
32.3%
dysmenorrhoea prevalence
About the study
- Original title
- The Prevalence of Menstrual Cycle Disorders and Menstrual Cycle-Related Symptoms in Female Athletes: A Systematic Literature Review
- Authors
- Taim BC, Ó Catháin C, Renard M et al.
- Journal
- Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.)
- Year
- 2023
- Study design
- Systematic review
- What was tested
- None - prevalence study examining how common conditions are
- Open access
- Yes
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01871-8
Topics
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