Female athletes’ perceptions of the menstrual cycle and sport/exercise performance in Saudi Arabia: A preliminary study

Abstract

The government of Saudi Arabia has abolished laws and policies that denied female athletes the opportunity to participate in competitive sports and has started to invest in empowering female athletes to ensure equal participation in major sports. However, challenges associated with the menstrual cycle continue to affect the ability of female athletes to train and compete effectively. In this study, the researcher was interested in examining female athletes in Saudi Arabia, and specifically their menstrual cycle and its perceived impact on their training and competition performance alongside the openness of the conversation on menstrual-related issues. One hundred and forty-nine athletes completed online questionnaires that investigated their menstrual cycle’s current status (i.e., regularity, pre-menstrual symptoms), perceptions pertaining to training and competing, and the openness of menstrual-related conversations. The participants, on the whole, demonstrated a regular menstrual cycle (70%), commonly reported pre-menstrual symptoms (87%) and period pain (79%), perceived that their menstrual-related symptoms had a negative impact on their training and competition performance, failed to modify their training sessions to accommodate these symptoms (71%), and never/rarely discussed menstrual-related issues, especially with male compared to female coaches. The elite athletes reported significantly more irregular periods, a stronger perceived negative impact on their training sessions, and more male than female coaches or trainers. A supported self-care approach is suggested to guide female athletes on when and how to seek help, as well as reduce their negative perceptions by providing information on how to self-manage their menstrual-related symptoms more effectively.