‘If men had periods menstruation would become an inevitable boast-worthy, masculine event: men would brag about how long and how much’ - Gloria Steinem, 1978 The majority of women experience a period every month and that’s no exception for female athletes. So why do we still know so little about periods? In the first episode of a new series, Women’s Sport Matters, Katie Smith explores how the menstrual cycle affects performance and some of the myths around periods in sport. What do we know? What do we think we know? And is there a link between periods and a rise in anterior cruciate ligament knee injuries in female footballers?Bristol Bears’ back-rower Daisie Mayes tells us how she’s been forced off the field in tears from the pain of her period and how she’s coping with endometriosis and playing elite level rugby. We hear from former British distance runner, Pippa Woolven, on the work she’s doing to make more people aware of the dangers of Relative Energy Deficiency In Sport (RED-S) - a condition brought on by overtraining and under-fuelling and can stop women from having periods. Open University Senior Lecturer in Sport and Fitness, Simon Rea, and Dr Emma Ross from the Well HQ tell us about the latest research into whether periods can boost athletic ability. Meanwhile Women’s sports reporter at the Telegraph, Fi Tomas, tells us about her experiences sharing the stories of athletes and normalising the menstrual cycle in mainstream media. PANEL: Daisie Mayes, Pippa Woolven, Simon Rea, Dr Emma Ross, Fi Tomas.

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