45. Tracking your menstrual cycle as a female athlete
For female cyclists, and female athlete, there is a lot of debate about whether our menstrual cycles influence our performance... how, when 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 (which starts with the arrival of your period) but the quality of evidence was poor and inconclusive. Some women actually feel and form BETTER when they have their period!
This is likely because there is HUGE variation in the way the menstrual 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?
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