--- title: How does menstruation affect girls' participation in organized sports? description: Most girls reported that menstruation affected their sports performance and attendance. About 91 percent noted skill changes, 77 percent effort changes, and 5 url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/what-are-my-options-here-i-don-t-want-to-stop-training-or-miss-competitions-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How does menstruation affect girls' participation in organized sports? Survey study, 2026 # How does menstruation affect girls' participation in organized sports? Most girls reported that menstruation affected their sports performance and attendance. About 91 percent noted skill changes, 77 percent effort changes, and 58 percent attendance changes. Fatigue, mood, and pain were most common, and 18 percent were worried enough to consider quitting. Moderate study design 464 girls aged 10-16 in Australia participating in organized swimming and athletics. ## What they did Girls aged 10 to 16 in Australia (swimming and athletics) completed an online survey. A total of 464 girls answered questions about their menstrual symptoms and how their periods affected their training, competition, ability, effort, and attendance. ## What they found The most common symptoms were fatigue (88.4%), mood changes (89.1%), and pain (87.5%). Most girls reported changes in skill (90.9%), effort (77%), and attendance (58.3%). Menstruation disrupted training 62.8% of the time and competition 33.3% of the time. About 61.3% could not change period protection during training and 75.4% could not during competition. About 90% worried about leaking through clothes. A total of 48 girls (18.1%) were so worried they considered dropping out. ## What it means for you Menstruation affects girls' organized sports participation through symptoms and practical concerns like access to period products and fear of leaking. The main limitation is that this captures girls' perceptions in Australia only, so findings may not apply elsewhere. 464 Girls surveyed 90.9% Reported changes in skill 18.1% Considered dropping out ## About the study Original title "What are my options here? I don't want to stop training or miss competitions." Navigating the impact of early years of menstruation in organised sports, among girls 10-16 years Authors Strachan JF, Casey MM Journal Journal of science and medicine in sport Year 2026 Study design Survey study Participants 464 What was tested None. This was an observational survey study. Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2025.07.006](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2025.07.006) Original abstract Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of menstruation on sport participation among girls in the early years of their menstrual cycle. Design: Mixed methods online survey. Methods: Girls aged between 10 and 16 yrs. were invited to participate in an online survey promoted through two sports governing bodies in Australia (Swimming Victoria and Little Athletics Victoria). The participants completed a 30-item questionnaire, capturing demographics, behaviours, menstrual symptoms and experiences during training and competition. Results: A total of 464 participants responded to the survey. Fatigue (n = 236, 88.4 %), mood (n = 238, 89.1 %), and pain (n = 231, 87.5 %) were the most frequently reported symptoms. Girls perceived their sports experience was affected by their periods, reporting changes in skill (n = 280; 90.9 %), participation effort (n = 238; 77 %) and attendance (n = 180; 58.3 %). Menstruation disrupted training (62.8 %) and/or competition (33.3 %) attendance, especially among individual sport participants (p < 0.038). Participants were unable to change their period protection when needed (training: 61.3 %; competition 75.4 %) and worried about menstrual blood leaking through uniform clothes (training: 89.8 %; competition: 91.5 %). Participants (n = 48; 18.1 %) worried about their period to the point they considered dropping out and these participants were significantly likely to report bowel symptoms (p = 0.045), missed training (p = <0.001) and competition (p < 0.001), and perceived changes in skill (p = <0.001), participation effort (p = <0.001) and attendance (p = <0.001). Conclusions: The menstrual cycle impacted girls' sport participation, with a range of symptoms reported and disruptions to training and competition. This study provides data to inform future strategies to better support girls to manage their early years of menstruation in organised sport. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Fatigue and energy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-fatigue/)[Exercise and yoga](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-exercise/)[Adolescents and young people](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-adolescents/)[Athletes and sport](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-athletes/) 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 Study, 2025 Does the menstrual cycle affect sleep, energy, and injury risk in young female athletes? Survey study, 2021 Does the menstrual cycle affect women's ability to train and compete? Study, 2021 Does exercise affect a woman's balance more during the premenstrual phase? Cohort study, 2015 How common are PMS and PMDD in young female athletes? Survey study, 2026 Are PMS symptoms and injuries common in teen girls who play competitive badminton? Randomised trial, 2026 What types and amounts of exercise help or harm PMS? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗