Menstruation and the Menstrual Cycle in Sport, Exercise, and Physical Activity

Menstruation and the Menstrual Cycle in Sport, Exercise, and Physical Activity is the first book to offer students, researchers, and professionals an evidenced-based reference on considerations and concepts relevant to sports performance and physical activity during menstruation and the menstrual cycle, showcasing multidisciplinary perspectives in subdisciplines of sport and exercise science, including physiology, psychology and biomechanics, and social science. This new book presents research insights and theoretical underpinnings as it explores targeted interventions to support sport, exercise, and physical activity engagement throughout the menstrual cycle. Bringing together internationally leading researchers to present a range of research and practice issues connected to menstruation and the menstrual cycle in various physical activity environments, Menstruation and the Menstrual Cycle in Sport, Exercise, and Physical Activity examines key topics such as the impact of menstruation on sport training and performance, menstrual health literacy in sport, menstrual health monitoring, and menstrual stigma. Menstruation and the Menstrual Cycle in Sport, Exercise, and Physical Activity is key reading for researchers, undergraduate and postgraduate students, practitioners, and coaches working with menstruators in sport, exercise, and physical activity settings, providing a useful resource for inquiry, discussion, and learning about menstruation and the menstrual cycle in sport, exercise, and physical activity.

Petra Kolic, PhD, is a senior lecturer and social scientist in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. Her work uses sociological theory to make sense of menstrual experiences and menstrual stigma within situations of daily life, including sport, exercise, and physical activity. Through in-depth qualitative methods, her research raises awareness and offers avenues for interventions to improve knowledge, communication, and confidence of those involved in engaging and support engagement in sport, exercise, and physical activity during menstruation. Christopher I. Morse, PhD, is a Reader in Clinical Exercise Physiology in the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. His work in the field of menstruation has worked towards understanding the role of menstrual hormones and oral contraception on physiological outcomes. In recent years, his research in this field has focused on understanding how physical and physiological variables associated with menstruation may impact physical activity avoidance.

1. The menstrual cycle and sports performance. 2. Substrate utilisation and the menstrual cycle: Implications for menstrual-specific recommendations for training and nutrition. 3. Variations in injury risk along the menstrual cycle. 4. Menstrual cycle considerations for female adolescents during sport participation. 5. Teaching adolescent girls in rural Zambia about menstrual health, life choices, and well-being with the traditional game NSOLO. 6. Understanding menstrual health monitoring within exercise and sport environments. 7. The impact of menstruation on physical activity. 8. Improving menstrual health literacy in sport, exercise, and physical activity environments. 9. Menstrual knowledge and barriers to communication between coaches and athletes: Data from German athletes and coaches. 10. How to research the menstrual cycle in elite sport "with" athletes: Exploring confessional insights and participatory processes. 11. Embarrassment, fear, and shame: The emotional experiences of karate practitioners leaking menstrual blood. 12. The athletic, disabled, and menstruating body: Examining menstruation in the context of parasport. 13. Menstrual stigma: A dramaturgical perspective.