Tracking your menstrual cycle as a female athlete
There is a lot of debate about whether our menstrual cycles influence our performance, when, how and what to do about it.
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis (McNulty 2020) concluded that performance may be reduced during the early follicular phase (during your period) but the quality of evidence was poor and inconclusive.
This is likely because there is HUGE variation in the way the menstual cycle affects women.
Some get no symptoms at all, while others are bed bound, cramp, bloated or even vomit at certain stages of their cycle.
What to do?
Do you notice changes and performance impacts that occur around your cycle?
Track your menstrual cycle
As a female athlete I highly encourage you to track your menstrual cycle to identify unique patterns and challenges that you experience and how it impacts your training and performance.
I love the fact that Trainingpeaks allows you to track this over time so your coach can tailor your training accordingly.
Changes in your period can act as an warning sign of stress, nutrition and training being out of balance.
Things that are worth tracking:
Duration
Heaviness
Cramping
Nausea or vomiting
Backache
Bloating
Weight fluctuations
Motivation to train
Fatigue and tiredness levels
Performance changes.
Emotional state
If you aren't already, I HIGHLY encourage you to start recording your menstrual cycle to help understand the unique patterns and challenges that you experience and how they can influence your food choices and intake.
This knowledge and awareness helps you to then plan ahead of time and factor in those challenges so you can make better decisions when that time comes around.
Gemma
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