--- title: How do female elite athletes cope with premenstrual symptoms? description: Strategies that help include being aware of symptoms, practicing self-care, and communicating with others. Strategies that don't help include trying to avoid url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/how-do-elite-female-athletes-cope-with-symptoms-of-their-premenstrual-period-a-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - How do female elite athletes cope with premenstrual symptoms? Survey study, 2022 # How do female elite athletes cope with premenstrual symptoms? Strategies that help include being aware of symptoms, practicing self-care, and communicating with others. Strategies that don't help include trying to avoid harm and adjusting energy. Premenstrual symptoms reduced physical ability and well-being. Early or limited evidence Elite female rugby and football players ## What they did Elite female rugby and football players filled out an anonymous online survey. Researchers analyzed how different coping strategies related to physical ability, well-being, and the effects of premenstrual symptoms. ## What they found Strategies that helped included awareness of symptoms, self-care, and communicating with others. Strategies that didn't help included trying to avoid harm and adjusting energy. Premenstrual physical and emotional symptoms reduced physical ability and well-being. ## What it means for you Coaches and support staff can help female athletes by reinforcing healthy coping strategies like awareness, self-care, and communication rather than trying to push through or avoid symptoms. The main limitation is that the study doesn't state how many athletes were surveyed. 5 coping strategies studied 3 helpful strategies identified ## About the study Original title How Do Elite Female Athletes Cope with Symptoms of Their Premenstrual Period? A Study on Rugby Union and Football Players' Perceived Physical Ability and Well-Being Authors Modena R, Bisagno E, Schena F et al. Journal International journal of environmental research and public health Year 2022 Study design Survey study What was tested None (observational survey) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811168](https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191811168) Original abstract Women's participation in sports has recently grown worldwide, including in sports typically associated with men (e.g., rugby and football). Similarly, literature on female athletes has increased, but how they cope with premenstrual (PM) physical and affective symptoms remains a poorly studied topic. Our study aimed to explain which coping strategies elite female rugby and football players use during their PM period to maintain perceived physical ability (PPA) and well-being. A mediation model analysis considering coping strategies (i.e., avoiding harm, awareness and acceptance, adjusting energy, self-care, and communicating) as independent variables, PPA and well-being as dependent variables, and PM physical and affective symptoms and PM cognitive resources as mediators was run on the data collected via an anonymous online survey. A dysfunctional impact of avoiding harm (indirect) and adjusting energy (both direct and indirect) and a functional indirect influence of awareness and acceptance, self-care, and communicating as coping strategies were found on PPA and well-being during the PM period. As predicted, PM physical and affective symptoms as mediators reduced PPA and well-being, while PM cognitive resources enhanced them. These results may inform practitioners on how to support elite female athletes' PPA and well-being by knowing and reinforcing the most functional PM coping strategies for them. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Cognition, concentration and memory](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-cognition/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Athletes and sport](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-athletes/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2025 Does teaching adolescent girls about their menstrual cycle and health help reduce period pain and PMS? Cohort study, 2025 How has PMS burden changed worldwide from 1990 to 2021? Randomised trial, 2022 Does online counselling using cognitive-behavioral techniques help PMS symptoms? Randomised trial, 2025 Does dark chocolate help exercise performance and muscle pain during the premenstrual phase? Randomised trial, 2023 What does research show about PMDD neurochemistry? Cohort study, 2023 Is PMDD a valid medical diagnosis? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗