Knix Campaign Encourages Olympic Athletes to Discuss Periods …C0NTINUE READING HERE >>>
Key Takeaways
By some estimates, as many as one in two teens quit playing sports after getting their periods.However, staying in youth sports programs provides many benefits to athletes’ mental and physical health.It’s crucial to encourage young people to stay in sports programs by providing them the tools they need to compete confidently on their period, experts said.
In recent years, athletes and wellness companies have drawn attention to the stigma young people face when they continue playing sports after starting their period.
To address the stigma, period underwear brand Knix has launched a campaign called Sport Your Period that encourages Olympic athletes to speak about competing while on their period. The company is paying athletes 1,000 Canadian dollars (just over $720 U.S. dollars) to “mention competing on their period.” If the athletes do this twice, they’ll receive twice the fee.
In a promotional video for the campaign, retired U.S. soccer player (and Olympic medalist) Megan Rapinoe, 39, said, “Not enough people are talking about periods in sports.” Rapinoe went on to encourage other world-class athletes to speak about competing on their period, citing data from the campaign, which suggests one in two teenagers skip sporting events to “hide their period.”
“One in two: All these kids ashamed of something as human and natural as their period,” Rapinoe said. “Enough with the shame. It’s time to keep every teen in sports by being loud about your period.”
Experts said there’s no reason that young athletes should stop competing in sports once they start having periods but that they sometimes choose to do so due to societal influences or misinformation. “[Young people] are very self-conscious about having their period, and culturally, there are a lot of myths about tampon use,” Judith Seline Simms-Cendan, MD, a specialist in pediatric adolescent gynecology at the University of Miami Health System, told Verywell.
It’s crucial to address the stigma around competing on your period, given the benefits of staying active when you’re young. Youth sports programs have been linked with lower rates of depression and anxiety, reduced stress, reduced risk of substance abuse, and a slew of physical benefits, such as increased cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness.
Why Teens Drop Out of Sports Programs
Most teens usually get their first period between ages 12 and 14 (though some start before or after that range). It’s not uncommon for young athletes to drop out of sports programs when they start having periods, Simms-Cendan said. Many young people end up quitting before that point—when their breasts start developing, she added.
Some athletes may be afraid that people in the audience will notice blood while they compete, and this may be especially distressing for those participating in water sports like swimming or other activities that require leotards, like ballet or gymnastics, experts said.
There’s no reason young people shouldn’t be able to continue participating in sports programs when they get their period: “Girls can play absolutely fine when they’re on their period,” Simms-Cendan said. If they are experiencing period cramps, there are fixes for that. “If they’re having a lot of menstrual pain, they should be given ibuprofen, and they should see a provider to help them manage that menstrual pain,” Simms-Cendan said.
It’s important to address the reasons young people stop playing sports, Rebecca Carl, MD, MSCI, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness, told Verywell. “There’s no reason from a physical standpoint why girls should not be participating in sports” after starting their period, Carl said.
How Periods Affect Athletic Performance
Though there is a stigma attached to participating in sports while you’re on your period, there’s no evidence to suggest that being on your period affects performance—for better or worse.
A 2021 review in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health looked at previous research on whether athletic performance is affected by any phases of the menstrual cycle. The authors of the report concluded that though many female athletes think their performance is affected by their period, there’s no clear indication that it is.
According to the review, the results of various studies investigating this question have been mixed. The authors wrote, “Overall, changes in objectively measured performance did not align with the changes in athletes’ perceived performance.”
However, some studies in the review suggested that athletes’ aerobic, anaerobic, and strength performances were more likely to be impaired during other menstrual cycle phases. Their aerobic and strength performances were more likely to be impaired during the luteal phase, while their anaerobic performance was more likely to be reduced during the late follicular phase.
What Adults Can Do to Help Teens Stay in Sports Programs Longer
Parents and guardians should help teenagers understand that there’s no physiological reason they can’t compete in sports throughout adolescence and adulthood. As much as possible, Carl said, people in these positions should “remove barriers to participation” in athletics programs.
Simms-Cendan said that many young people are learning more about the benefits of staying in sports—after they start getting periods—through social media apps.
Still, much needs to change to help young people. “Period poverty is real,” Simms-Cendan said, adding that though many may think all teens in the United States have access to the health and wellness products they need—including tampons, pads, and/or period underwear—that’s not the case.
“If you’re trying to use rags or toilet paper and you’re bleeding through, you’re going to stop participating,” Simms-Cendan said. When a young person does have access to the products they need and is still concerned about leaking, parents and coaches can help by considering whether a different uniform may help, Carl added.
That said, if a child or teenager is experiencing extremely heavy bleeding, they need to see a doctor; Simms-Cendan said, “If girls are bleeding really heavy on their period, it’s not normal.” She said that some parents don’t bring their children in for fear that they may need a pelvic exam, which can make them uncomfortable.
However, Simms-Cendan said, “We can assess girls without doing a pelvic exam, and we always start with the simple [treatments] first. It may just be [adjusting] the timing of the use of medication like ibuprofen—going to a gynecologist does not mean getting handed birth control pills.”
It’s essential to educate young people about their periods—and teach them that staying in sports comes with many social and physical benefits—given that comprehensive sex education programs in many schools are being cut, Simms-Cendan said.
Ultimately, we should teach that periods are normal and nothing to be embarrassed about, experts said.
“We all get periods,” Rapinoe said in the Knix video. “Let’s talk about it. Because the more we talk about periods in sports, the more we normalize periods in sports. And the more teens stay in sports.”
What This Means For You
Many young athletes quit youth sports programs when they get their period. Physical symptoms—like period cramps—can influence their decision, as can the fear of leaking during competitions. Experts said the benefits of playing youth sports are immense and that parents, coaches, and other community leaders should help young people develop ways to stay in sports. This may entail providing ibuprofen for period cramps, access to tampons and pads, or other strategies.
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