Hormonal and Menstrual Cycle Considerations in Sport.
As a professional athlete, I’ve experienced firsthand how hormonal fluctuations and menstrual cycle considerations can deeply impact both performance and well-being. When you’re training intensely, pushing your body to its limits, and cutting weight for competitions, things like overtraining, menstrual health, and hormonal imbalances often take a backseat. But in reality, these factors can not only affect your performance but also your physical and mental health. Here’s a look at my own experiences with the complexities of women's health in contact sports and how hormonal fluctuations can influence everything from weight gain and anxiety to missed periods and sugar cravings.
Overtraining and Hormonal Imbalance: The Weight of Cutting
Overtraining, particularly when preparing for a fight or competition, was something I struggled with early in my career. The desire to stay in peak shape led me to push my body far beyond what it could handle at times. In trying to stay at an ideal weight, I would engage in extreme dieting and cutting weight that involved drastic changes to my training and nutrition.
This combination of intense training and restrictive eating caused my periods to stop altogether. It was alarming, but like many athletes, I thought of it as just another hurdle to overcome. I’d been told that this was normal for athletes, especially those in sports that demand a lean body. But in retrospect, it was a clear sign that my body was under too much stress. Not only did I experience weight fluctuations and sugar cravings, but my hormonal system went into disarray, and I wasn’t giving my body the fuel it needed to function properly.
Changing Contraception and Managing Hormonal Shifts
In an attempt to manage the physical and emotional effects of my fluctuating hormones, I decided to change my contraception. Hormonal birth control was an effort to regulate my cycle, which, while it did help with controlling periods, didn’t address the deeper issues related to weight gain and mood swings that were compounded by the hormonal changes I was going through. At one point, I found myself battling weight gain, which led to increased anxiety around body image, and sugar cravings that only exacerbated the situation.
It was a struggle. In the intense world of contact sports, weight and body composition can often become a focus, but it’s not just about looking a certain way; it’s about performance. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of pressure to stay lean, especially as a woman, and I was constantly trying to balance my performance while also navigating hormonal changes and the physical impact of those shifts.
Heavy Periods During Fight Week: Competing Live on TV
Another experience that I’ll never forget is when I was fighting live on TV, and my period hit at the worst possible time, right in the middle of fight week. It was a heavy flow, and the cramps were unbearable. The physical discomfort was one thing, but the anxiety of performing at my best while dealing with such a personal issue was overwhelming and the stress and worry of added water retention not being my friend on the scales at weigh-in’s.
The combination of being on national television, knowing that millions were watching, and trying to fight through the discomfort of my period created a unique challenge. It wasn’t just about muscle soreness or exhaustion, it was about finding the mental strength to push through the physical discomfort and anxiety of being under public scrutiny while dealing with a situation that many women face but seldom talk about in a sporting context.
The Luteal Phase: When Fatigue and Soreness Kick In
One of the most difficult phases of my training cycle would be during the luteal phase of my menstrual cycle, the two weeks after ovulation. This phase is when my body temperature increases, and I would often experience joint instability, muscle soreness, and increased fatigue. It felt like everything was harder. My usual workout routine seemed more challenging, and I had to adjust my training accordingly. But the pressure to perform during that phase, especially when preparing for a fight, made me push through, even when my body was telling me to rest.
During this time, my coordination seemed off, and I found that I was more prone to injuries. I would sometimes miss the warning signs that my body was struggling because of the intensity of training. It wasn’t until I learned to listen to my body and accommodate the menstrual cycle that I realised I could avoid these setbacks and better align my training with how my body was feeling at any given moment.
Mental Health: The Emotional Toll of Hormonal Shifts
The hormonal shifts during my cycle also impacted my mental health. There were days when anxiety and mood swingswere harder to control, especially when trying to meet the demands of my training, my business, and my charity work. The emotional toll of dealing with constant fatigue, hormonal fluctuations, and the pressure to perform can be overwhelming.
But through all of this, I came to realise how essential it is to create a supportive environment for women in sports. It’s not just about training harder or pushing through pain. It’s about being able to acknowledge when something isn’t right with our bodies, whether it’s a missed period, persistent cravings, or feelings of anxiety and learning to adjust our approach to training accordingly.
Conclusion: The Importance of Listening to Your Body
What I’ve learned over the years is that understanding and accommodating my menstrual cycle has been key to optimizing my performance and maintaining my health. Hormonal fluctuations are natural and can significantly affect everything from strength and recovery to mental clarity and injury risk. By acknowledging these changes and adjusting my training, diet, and recovery plans, I’ve been able to push past some of the challenges that come with being a woman in a contact sport.
The key is to listen to your body and adapt. Whether it’s taking extra rest during the luteal phase, changing your nutrition to combat cravings, or learning to manage the mental strain that comes with hormonal changes, it’s about balance. Women's health in contact sports should be a conversation, one that encourages athletes to prioritise their well-being and empowers them to break through the barriers, both physical and emotional.