Our evidence base.
We need to tell you this.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution. No ‘universal guidance’ on how to train, fuel and recover in each phase of the menstrual cycle. Because the research is new and emerging and every girl and woman is different.
Our education empowers girls and women to make informed decisions about their training, fuelling and recovery based on their personal experience of their menstrual cycle.
Here we want to share six critical research findings with you.
This meta-analysis (which brings together evidence from lots of different research studies) found none or only small differences in objective performance across menstrual cycle phases.
This study of 6,812 active women noted that common menstrual cycle symptoms can compromise exercise participation and work capacity. Prevalent menstrual cycle symptoms self-reported were mood changes/anxiety (90.6%), tiredness/fatigue (86.2%), stomach cramps (84.2%) and breast pain/tenderness (83.1%).
This self-reported longitudinal study is a really important step in understanding how menstrual cycle phases may influence injury risk in female footballers, but the small size (26 elite players) and complexity of injury causes (like training load, fatigue, and prior injury history) mean that more research with larger, hormonally verified, and more diverse samples is needed to confirm and expand on these findings.
Interviews with 17 elite female athletes showed that physical and psychological symptoms of the menstrual cycle can affect training and, to a lesser extent, competition, with many athletes reporting discomfort around talking about the menstrual cycle with their coaches.
This position paper emphasises that while female athletes have distinct hormonal profiles which influence their metabolism, energy needs and nutrient requirements across their lifespan, the primary consideration for all female athletes, regardless of hormonal status, is to maintain an overall energy availability level that meets the specific goals and requirements of their individual training and performance demands.
This 2020 research looked at 5,261 studies, published in six major sport and exercise‑science journals from 2014–2020, involving more than 1.25 million participants. It found that women made up only 34 % of participants across the board, and just 6 % of studies were conducted exclusively on women — highlighting a significant under‑representation of females in sport science research.
Our researchers and medical writers have built a comprehensive research compendium packed with studies, position papers, and supporting documents many of which are listed in more detail in our members’ area.
