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Pain, fatigue, stress… The symptoms of periods, just like the persistent taboos that surround them, have deplorable consequences on young girls’ participation in sport. This is what a new study carried out among 600 female footballers aged 11 to 18 reveals. The majority of these teenagers say they are stressed at the idea of playing football when they have their period, and are sometimes even forced to miss training.
Work, schooling, social life, menstruation negatively influences the daily lives of young girls and women around the world, not to mention the menstrual insecurity suffered by hundreds of millions of women. But the rules also have a heavy impact on the sporting practice of those mainly concerned, as revealed by a survey carried out by the Règles Elémentaires association and the Fondaction du Football on the occasion of the launch of their joint training and awareness action on the subject of menstruation with football clubs. Carried out among 622 female football players with an average age of 14.5 years, 93.7% of whom have already had their period, this survey shows the consequences that menstruation can have on the practice of sport.
Speech has become significantly freer around periods in recent years, but many taboos persist and are significant. In any case, almost 40% of the young girls questioned believe that menstruation is taboo in the world of sport. As such, most of the emotions felt by respondents during their first period turned out to be negative. If 10% of the panel said they felt relief, more than a third mentioned apprehension (37.5%), more than a quarter fear (26%), more than one in ten of the incomprehension (14%) and 9.5% shame.
But beyond feelings, the taboos surrounding periods can have even more disastrous consequences. Three quarters of the young girls surveyed say they are stressed at the idea of going to training during this period of the month, including 19% who are stressed every cycle. As a result, some feel that this can slow down their progress. More than two thirds of respondents (69.8%) consider that they have already performed less well in training or during a match because of their period. The consequences can even be more embarrassing since almost four out of ten respondents say they have already missed a match or training because of their period.
And this absenteeism is mainly due to pain felt during periods (67%) and fatigue (45.5%). But the way others look at them also plays a determining role: more than a fifth of the players concerned (22%) say they fear a potential stain, 15% fear not having time to change their protections, and 6% clearly say they are afraid. jokes. Something that could change with more transparency on the subject. An overwhelming majority of respondents (80%) believe that there is not enough information on the link between sport and periods, and more than half that it could be useful to participate in awareness workshops.
*The first phase of this study was addressed to coaches, trainers and directors of football clubs representative of the amateur football ecosystem in France. The second phase of the survey, from which the results presented here come, was addressed to players from more than 100 amateur clubs, via their coach and/or their parents. 622 players responded. They practice in clubs located in mainland France and overseas, both in rural areas and in urban areas welcoming from 1 to 300 women. The forms were sent between February 12, 2024 and March 19, 2024.