Blog: Female Health and Well-Being

Georgie Bruinvels, PhD student and Research Associate at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, discusses her current research project exploring the impact of iron deficiency in the performance of female athletes. Speaking to the BBC, Paula Radcliffe has called for more studies to be done on the impact of the menstrual cycle on female performance - drawing on the experience of elite athletes such as herself and Jo Pavey who have "tried to do things to control their period" throughout their careers. The 41-year-old revealed she first broke the world record in Chicago in 2002 while suffering period cramps in the last third of the race. "Sometimes maybe people didn't believe - you need more women who understand to give more evidence.” The impact of sportswomen's menstrual cycle on performance is "the last taboo" in sport, says former British tennis number one Annabel Croft. Croft told BBC Radio 5 live that women "suffer in silence" on the subject. These are just some of the examples of the effect of a woman’s menstrual cycle on athletic performance, but it has also highlighted that research around the effects of the menstrual cycle in exercising females is limited. In response to this the research team at St Mary’s, in collaboration with University College London, is specifically looking at the effect of the menstrual cycle on iron status within this population, determining whether this may have negative repercussions on health and performance. Through doing this we also hope to gain an indication of the impact that females feel their menstrual cycle has on training and performance. It can be assumed that those who suffer from increased blood loss are more likely to be susceptible to iron deficiencies. It has been suggested that 30% of women worldwide have experienced heavy menstrual bleeding at some point in their lives, however only 5% have sought treatment. This highlights the need for more research, enabling a greater understanding of whether treatment for these women is necessary. The initial aim of this study is to survey the whole spectrum of athletes from recreational through to elite across the extensive sporting networks in the UK. All female athletes can participate in the study, regardless of whether they feel they have an issue with their menstrual cycle. It is hoped that this will enable us to conclude whether iron supplementation through injections could be a viable treatment during training. The survey is available online. Georgie Brunivels