Why do we have to talk about menstruation, breasts and injuries to women's sport

It was the extension at the Wembley stadium, in England, and the Englishman Chloe Kelly scored the victory goal against Germany.

In the middle of the euphoria, he took off his shirt and showed his sports bra.

Professor Joanna Wakefield-Scur, from the University of Portsmouth, who proud to be known as the “Professor of the Brasier” had been made to measure.

These are some data on the breasts highlighted by Professor Wakefield-Scur:

Laboratory experiments in which chest sensors are used have revealed how the movement of breast tissue mass alters the movement of the rest of the body and, therefore, sports performance.

“For some women, breasts can be really very heavy and, if that weight moves, you can change the movement of the torso and even the force exerted on the ground,” explains Professor Wakefield-Scur.

Compensate the breast bouncing restricting the movement of the upper part of the body alters the position of the pelvis and shortens the length of each stride. Therefore, sports bras are not only a matter of comfort or fashion, but a key tool for performance.

“In fact, we observe that a low level of breast support implied a reduction of four centimeters in the length of the stride,” explains Professor Wakefield-Scur.

“If you lose four centimeters in each step during a marathon, in the end they add a mile.”

Sports bras also protect the delicate internal structures of the breast. “If we stretch them, the damage is permanent,” says the teacher, so “it is more about preventing it to cure.”

The menstrual cycle has a clear impact on the body: it can affect emotions, mood and sleep, in addition to causing fatigue, headaches and cramps.

But Calli Hauger-Thackery, British long-distance broker who has represented her country at the Olympic Games, says that talking about the topic in sport “is still a great taboo, and it shouldn't be, because we are suffering from it.”

Calli says he always notices changes in his body in the days before his period.

“I feel very fatigued, with heavy legs, (I feel like if) I was running in the mud sometimes, everything feels more forced than it should,” he says.

Calli says that “lives” according to its menstrual monitoring application, since having the period is a source of anxiety, “especially when important races are approaching.”

One of those competitions was in April: the Boston Marathon, and its period was yet to come. He ended in sixth place and remembers that “luckily he could overcome it,” but says he can't help asking himself if he could have done it even better.

The menstrual cycle is regulated by rhythmic fluctuations of two hormones: estrogen and progesterone. But what impact can this have on sports performance?

“It is very individual and there are many nuances. It is not as simple as saying that the menstrual cycle affects performance,” says Professor Kirsty Elliott-Sale, a specialist in female endocrinology and physiology of the exercise at the Metropolitan University of Mercanster.

“Women have won and lost competitions, established their personal brands and milkshake world records at all times in the menstrual cycle,” he says.

Among the most famous cases is Paula Radcliffe, which beat the world marathon record while running with menstrual pains in Chicago in 2002.

To determine whether the menstrual cycle affects sports performance, it is necessary to understand the physiological changes that hormones cause throughout the body, the challenge of giving to the maximum while experiencing symptoms, the psychological impact of anxiety that generates competing during the period and perceptions about all the above.

Professor Elliott-Sale states that “it is not that there is a phase in which you are stronger or weaker”, or in which “you will win or lose”, but, in theory, estrogen hormones and progesterone could alter body parts such as bones, muscles or heart.

“What we still do not know is whether that has a large enough effect to really influence performance,” he says.

The teacher adds that “a very sensible conclusion” is that lack of sleep, fatigue and cramps can have a negative effect on performance, and that fear and anxiety are “something absolutely tangible” for athletes who are competing before a large public during their period.

She says she has spoken with athletes that “sometimes even put three layers of underwear” to avoid the risk of staining and shame, and “that is a great mental burden.”

The Rugby team Sharks Women has been collaborating with the Metropolitan University of Mercuneter.

I met Katy Daley-Mclean, former captain of the English rugby team and top scorer of all time in England.

The team is having open discussions about menstruation to better understand the impact it can have and how to prepare for it. This includes, for example, taking ibuprofen three days before, instead of thinking: “I can't do anything about it,” says Daley-Mclean.

“It is through that knowledge and that information that we can talk about this, we can start plans and we can change our behavior to become better rugby players,” he says.

An issue that has gained relevance as women's sport has gained prominence is the difference between men and women in terms of the propensity to suffer certain injuries.

Most of the attention has focused on the anterior cross ligament (LCA), a part of the knee that joins the upper and lower leg. The injuries can be very serious and take a year to heal.

According to Dr. Thomas Dos'santos, a researcher in sports biomechanics at the Metropolitan University of Manchester, not only the risk is between three and eight times greater in women than in men, depending on the sport, but also the injuries are becoming increasingly common.

However, he affirms that “there is no simple answer” to explain why.

In part, it could be due to anatomical differences. The wider hips of women make the upper part of the femur part of a more open position, which modifies the angle with which it joins the lower part of the leg in the knee. That could increase risk.

The LCA is also slightly smaller in women, “so it is a little weaker,” explains Dr. Dos'santos.

LCA lesions can occur in any phase of the menstrual cycle, but the role that hormonal changes may have, including a study sponsored by FIFA, is also being investigated.

High estrogen levels before ovulation could alter ligament properties, making them a little more elastic, so “theoretically there could be a greater risk of injuries,” says two'santos.

However, the researcher argues that it is important to go beyond mere anatomy, since women still do not receive the same strength training as men.

He compares the situation with ballet, in which dancers receive high quality training. “The difference in the incidence rates of injuries between men and women is practically insignificant,” he says.

It is being investigated whether it is possible to minimize the risk of LCA injuries training female athletes so that they move subtly differently.

However, there is a risk of reducing performance, and some techniques that exert pressure on the LCA, such as lowering their shoulders to deceive a defender before throwing himself in another direction, are necessary movements in sports such as football.

“We cannot wrap them in cotton and tell them that they should avoid sports,” says Dr. Dos'santos. “What we have to do is make sure that they are strong enough to support those loads, but it is not as simple as saying that we can eradicate 100% of the LCA injuries, because we cannot.”

Although there are still many unanswered questions, for Katy Daley-Mclean, Sharks Women's rugby team comes out, everything has changed radically.

Remember that, when he debuted in 2007, all assumptions about the performance of his body were based on the data of the male rugby players.

“They literally treated us as minihombres,” recalls Daley-Mclean.

Now, he says, girls and women no longer feel like intruders in sport, which not only improves performance in elite sport, but also contributes to more women to practice sports.

“It's amazing, it is something to be celebrated, because if we look at statistics, one of the main reasons why girls abandon sport is body image, menstruation and the fact of not having an adequate sports bra, something that can be easily solved.”

*With Gerry Holt's production

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