National team biathletes' experiences of the menstrual cycle: "it's something that needs to be heard".

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To describe national team biathletes' experiences of their menstrual cycle (MC) while training and competing, and to identify factors to be considered in the development of policy and practice to support these athletes.

Methods

Participants included 18 national team biathletes (ages 17-32 years) who experience the MC. Following a qualitative description design, athletes participated in one-on-one semistructured interviews that were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a content analysis process.

Results

Four descriptive themes represent the findings: (a) 'A very under-rated part of performance and training': Critical impacts of the MC on sport; (b) 'It varies month to month': Fluctuation in occurrence and impact of MC symptoms; (c) 'Block

SUBMITTER: Jorgensen H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12001359 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature