Menstrual health and influence of the menstrual cycle on performance and recovery in football

Brown, Georgia A.

Menstrual health and influence of the menstrual cycle on performance and recovery in football

Brown, Georgia A.

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2025

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Brown, Georgia A.
dc.date.accessioned	2025-11-12T02:32:55Z
dc.date.available	2025-11-12T02:32:55Z
dc.date.issued	2025
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/190658
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Health.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	This thesis examined menstrual health and the influence of menstrual phase and symptoms on performance, recovery, and sleep in footballers. Study 1 explored menstrual health, symptomatology and perceived menstrual effects among Australian national and domestic league players, revealing low rates of amenorrhea but notable rates of oligomenorrhea (19%) and heavy menstrual bleeding (11%). Most players (97%) reported symptoms and 40% perceived menstrual disruption to performance. Symptom severity, heavy bleeding, and pelvic pain significantly increased perceived disruption. Studies 2 to 4 collected performance, recovery and sleep data from Australian domestic league players concurrent to menstrual phase and symptoms data. Study 2 found greater running distances during the late-follicular phase, though high individual variability existed, and accelerations were also reduced at higher symptom severities. Study 3 found no significant effects of menstrual phase on post-match fatigue, soreness, stress or sleep, though perceptual recovery timelines differed based on total-high speed running distance and to a lesser extent menstrual phase. Study 4 found that menstrual phase did not impact sleep, but higher symptom severity was linked to longer sleep durations and later waketimes. Overall, the findings support monitoring menstrual health, and to a lesser degree menstrual phase, and symptoms in elite football.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/190658/1/thesis.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2025 Georgia A. Brown
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/cph
dc.title	Menstrual health and influence of the menstrual cycle on performance and recovery in football	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

This thesis examined menstrual health and the influence of menstrual phase and symptoms on performance, recovery, and sleep in footballers. Study 1 explored menstrual health, symptomatology and perceived menstrual effects among Australian national and domestic league players, revealing low rates of amenorrhea but notable rates of oligomenorrhea (19%) and heavy menstrual bleeding (11%). Most players (97%) reported symptoms and 40% perceived menstrual disruption to performance. Symptom severity, heavy bleeding, and pelvic pain significantly increased perceived disruption. Studies 2 to 4 collected performance, recovery and sleep data from Australian domestic league players concurrent to menstrual phase and symptoms data. Study 2 found greater running distances during the late-follicular phase, though high individual variability existed, and accelerations were also reduced at higher symptom severities. Study 3 found no significant effects of menstrual phase on post-match fatigue, soreness, stress or sleep, though perceptual recovery timelines differed based on total-high speed running distance and to a lesser extent menstrual phase. Study 4 found that menstrual phase did not impact sleep, but higher symptom severity was linked to longer sleep durations and later waketimes. Overall, the findings support monitoring menstrual health, and to a lesser degree menstrual phase, and symptoms in elite football.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/190658