Women’s sport research gap persists as talking about periods remains a barrier | OneFootball

Women’s sport is challenging taboos around mental health and menstruation, yet a significant scientific gap endures and discussing periods still meets resistance.

According to El Periódico Mediterráneo, Dr Eva Ferrer, a specialist in women’s medicine, told the Dones en Joc forum on ‘Investigar en femenino’ that evidence remains skewed. In 2014, 69% of study participants were men, data that cannot simply be applied to how women train or perform, and she warned that study quality often falls short in practice.

Ferrer said researching the menstrual cycle is complex, requiring more resources and patience because variability is high. She noted that, unlike the cycle, pregnancy research in the general population is offering insights for elite athletes, though past work lacked enough female subjects.

She added that infrastructure must catch up. At the Women’s World Cup, mothers could bring their children, but breastfeeding requires dedicated lactation rooms, and institutions still do not always meet known needs through lack of will, empathy or both.

Mariona Violan, secretaria general de l'Esport i l'Activitat Física de la Generalitat de Catalunya, said researchers often chase homogeneity and select men, while women’s physiology is different and cyclical. She pointed to more women in later life now active, and noted that women live longer than men.

Ferrer, who works with the Barça Innovation Hub, stressed that when an athlete is not healthy, performance drops. The absence of periods signals a problem that moves into pathology, and education gaps remain on cycles, bodily effects and managing symptoms.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo