Survey study, 2013
Do female athletes have worse premenstrual symptoms during competition?
Some do, and the type of sport matters. Individual athletes report more psychological stress during their menstrual period than team athletes do.
What they did
Cross-sectional study of 266 elite Turkish female athletes: 120 team athletes and 146 individual athletes in sports like wrestling, judo, and taekwondo. Researchers assessed premenstrual symptoms and psychological stress.
What they found
Individual and team athletes showed clear differences in depressive mood, anxiety, exhaustion, anger, pain, appetite changes, and timidity. Individual athletes reported more psychological stress during competition and training in the menstrual period compared to team athletes. Performance differences were linked to sport type and competition schedule.
What it means for you
Individual female athletes may experience more mental health strain during their menstrual period because they face competition stress alone, whereas team athletes share the pressure. The study only included elite Turkish athletes in specific sports, so findings may not apply to all athletes or recreational sports.
120
Team athletes
146
Individual athletes
266
Total athletes studied
About the study
- Original title
- Psychological Situations of Elite Turkish Female Athletes in Premenstrual Period
- Authors
- Özden Taşğın
- Journal
- Archives of Budo
- Year
- 2013
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 266
- What was tested
- None—observational study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.12659/aob.883781
Topics
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