{"id":10521,"date":"2026-03-14T09:25:31","date_gmt":"2026-03-14T02:25:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/?p=10521"},"modified":"2026-03-14T09:25:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T02:25:33","slug":"how-the-menstrual-cycle-can-make-or-break-an-athletes-performance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/how-the-menstrual-cycle-can-make-or-break-an-athletes-performance\/","title":{"rendered":"How the menstrual cycle can make or break an athlete\u2019s performance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As soccer\u2019s Women\u2019s Asian Cup continues in Australia, much analysis will inevitably focus on the physical: the speed of Mary Fowler, the power of Sarina Bolden, the endurance of Yui Hasegawa and Ellie Carpenter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, in high-pressure environments, those who think the quickest and most creatively can have just as much impact as those who run the fastest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This brings us to a crucial, under-researched frontier in sports science: the influence of women\u2019s sex hormones that regulate processes such as the menstrual cycle, and what the central nervous system does for athletes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My recent study analysed previous and current research that suggests the menstrual cycle can play a role in performance, while also drawing attention to the fact there is still so much we do not know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@matildas\/video\/7615110801136815368\" data-video-id=\"7615110801136815368\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\" style=\"max-width:605px; min-width:325px;\"> <section> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@matildas\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@matildas?refer=embed\">@matildas<\/a> <p>Showcasing that &#8216;never-say-die&#8217; attitude \ud83d\udcaa <a title=\"matildas\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/matildas?refer=embed\">#Matildas<\/a> <a title=\"howwewaltz\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/howwewaltz?refer=embed\">#HowWeWaltz<\/a> <a title=\"tilitsdone\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/tilitsdone?refer=embed\">#TilitsDone<\/a> <a title=\"afcwomensasiancup\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/afcwomensasiancup?refer=embed\">#AFCWomensAsianCup<\/a> <a title=\"wac2026\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/tag\/wac2026?refer=embed\">#WAC2026<\/a><\/p> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\u266c original sound - CommBank Matildas\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7615110837925841685?refer=embed\">\u266c original sound &#8211; CommBank Matildas<\/a> <\/section> <\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The power of the brain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To produce their skills and make the right decisions, athletes need effective interaction between key body systems such as the nervous, endocrine (hormonal) and muscular systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The nervous system is primarily the command and communication system of the body and includes the brain, spinal cord and motor neurons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A key function is to collect information that can then be used to make decisions (in the brain), then initiate and execute movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The brain is able to command tasks through regulating processes such as attention, memory, judgement and creativity. These processes also underpin learning, which ultimately allows us to perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The endocrine system meanwhile produces and manages hormones in the body, which also helps with communication. For example, sex hormones (oestrogen and progestrone) act as neurotransmitters and help regulate brain activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate dynamically across the menstrual cycle, with low levels during week one of menstruation and a steady rise in week two. Oestrogen peaks just before ovulation (around the middle of cycle), while progesterone reaches its highest levels after ovulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both hormones return to low levels in the days leading to the next bleeding phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But how is this relevant to sport performance? Let\u2019s dig a little deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How hormones can affect athletic performance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Consider your favourite Matildas team member: she is skilled, tenacious and renowned not only for her athleticism but her tactical nous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She must read the play and either attack, defend, or set up play for others. That involves lots of thinking and making decisions under pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now imagine if a highly skilled and consistent athlete is a little off their game. Any number of factors could be at play, one of which is hormone fluctuations associated with the menstrual cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During different phases of the menstrual cycle, hormones rise or dip, which can mean the brain may or may not be getting enough hormones to work efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A dip in hormone levels may impact performance positively or negatively: it may mean you are a little calmer, or you react a little slower. Likewise higher levels (around ovulation) may lead to increased errors, or more risk-taking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But here\u2019s the kicker \u2013 sometimes hormone fluctuations leave some women performing even better at certain stages of their cycle than they would anticipate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some emerging research has found women may be quicker to react during the bleeding (menstrual) phase, or their spatial awareness may be better during the first half of the menstrual cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This knowledge is crucial in sport because it might be the difference between winning and losing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Importantly, for athletes who experience changes in cognition due to hormone fluctuations or symptoms (not everyone does), it can lead to making a decision too late \u2013 potentially conceding a goal, losing possession, or moving in a way that causes an injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It must be noted any influence of menstrual phases on athletic performance is highly individualised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other factors such as sleep, recovery, fatigue or perceived fatigue and even altitude can also play a role, so it\u2019s important to note this is only one factor when it comes to performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is also important to consider menstrual symptom management which can include pain, heavy bleeding, bloating, breast soreness and nausea \u2013 all of which are particularly difficult on training and competition days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Athletes must manage the practical aspects of menstruating which may include carrying extra pain medication, heat packs, or highly supportive bras. Moreover, they must consider whether they have comfortable and effective ways to manage bleeding, and what facilities are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some athletes may use hormonal contraception to reduce symptoms or skip periods and time bleeding onset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Crucially, research indicates many athletes using hormone contraception report negative side effects such as mood swings and weight gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This emerging scientific area is beautifully complex and one we need to understand better if we truly want women to thrive and reach their full potential in sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practical advice for athletes and coaches<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As we close the knowledge gap, there is still much we can do in the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, encourage athletes to track their menstrual cycle (preferably on paper so they can decide how this information is used).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Athletes should understand sensitive medical information is theirs alone to share. Coaches should never use this information to bench an athlete, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tracking cycles allows women to see patterns \u2013 they can predict possible dips or highs in performance and implement mitigation strategies. Strategies may include athletes performing a longer or more specialised warm-up, or even resting a little more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To help athletes mentally prepare for a game, and when they know hormone fluctuations may leave them a little distracted, coaches could also implement extra cognitive motor drills (tasks that make them think and move).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This might include small-sided games, reaction time tasks and fun, fast decision drills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-tiktok wp-block-embed-tiktok\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@fifatrainingcentre\/video\/7530260696831954198\" data-video-id=\"7530260696831954198\" data-embed-from=\"oembed\" style=\"max-width:605px; min-width:325px;\"> <section> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@fifatrainingcentre\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@fifatrainingcentre?refer=embed\">@fifatrainingcentre<\/a> <p>Throughout this session, the exercises alternate from a large pitch (9v8) to a small pitch (2x 5v5), with the same principles applying in both instances. The purpose of the small-pitch drill is to give players the opportunity to use the same principles of switching play they have practiced before on the large pitch but in tighter spaces, where their individual technical ability plays a more prominent role. Organisation: \ud83d\udfe1 The objective in the small-sided games is to score a goal that involves a switch of play across the midline. \ud83d\udfe1 Players can only score with a first-time finish. \ud83d\udfe1 A team is awarded 1 point if the goal involves a first-time finish and 2 points if the play is switched across the midline. Coaching points: \ud83d\udfe1 Use two different systems that feature various player roles so as to offer players an understanding about how and when to switch play, based on the system in which they are operating. \ud83d\udfe1 Quick switches of play can allow a team to exploit a defence\u2019s weak area, or in other words, the part of the defence with the fewest defenders. \ud83d\udfe1 Encourage players to switch play quickly using a range of passes, such as long diagonal passes or short incisive passes into central players, who act as an anchor point. \ud83d\udfe1 Before switching play to the other side, think about how the team can stretch the pitch and create the space to make the switch. \ud83d\udfe1 Vary the approach taken to switching play and, based on the situation, make a decision about whether it is better to initially build up possession or look to switch the ball quickly.<\/p> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\u266c original sound - FIFA Training Centre - FIFA Training Centre\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-FIFA-Training-Centre-7530260699965180694?refer=embed\">\u266c original sound &#8211; FIFA Training Centre &#8211; FIFA Training Centre<\/a> <\/section> <\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So as you gear up for the Women\u2019s Asian Cup finals, look beyond the physical. Be curious about what drives these athletes\u2019 performance and what may or may not influence their form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Above all, appreciate the complexity of being an athlete in women\u2019s sport.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/kylie-a-steel-205761\">Kylie A. Steel<\/a>, Senior Lecturer in Motor Learning and Skill Acquisition, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/western-sydney-university-1092\">Western Sydney University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">This article is republished from <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-the-menstrual-cycle-can-make-or-break-an-athletes-performance-275310\">original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As soccer\u2019s Women\u2019s Asian Cup continues in Australia, much analysis will inevitably focus on the physical: the speed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[63],"class_list":["post-10521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","tag-football"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/football-women.jpg",1989,1140,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/football-women-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/football-women-300x172.jpg",300,172,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/football-women-768x440.jpg",640,367,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/football-women-1024x587.jpg",640,367,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/football-women-1536x880.jpg",1536,880,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/football-women.jpg",1989,1140,false],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/football-women-825x575.jpg",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/football-women-590x410.jpg",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/category\/science\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Science<\/a>","tag_info":"Science","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/football-women.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10521"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10521\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10523,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10521\/revisions\/10523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.infinitysport.asia\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}