Prevalence and frequency of menstrual cycle symptoms are associated with availability to train and compete: a study of 6812 exercising women recruited using the Strava exercise app
Open accessAbstract
Objectives: The menstrual cycle can affect sports participation and exercise performance. There are very few data on specific menstrual cycle symptoms (symptoms during various phases of the cycle, not only during menstruation) experienced by exercising women. We aimed to characterise the most common symptoms, as well as the number and frequency of symptoms, and evaluate whether menstrual cycle symptoms are associated with sporting outcomes. Methods: 6812 adult women of reproductive age (mean age: 38.3 (8.7) years) who were not using combined hormonal contraception were recruited via the Strava exercise app user database and completed a 39-part survey. Respondents were from seven geographical areas, and the questions were translated and localised to each region (Brazil, n=892; France, n=1355; Germany, n=839; Spain, n=834; UK and Ireland, n=1350; and USA, n=1542). The survey captured exercise behaviours, current menstrual status, presence and frequency of menstrual cycle symptoms, medication use for symptoms, perceived effects of the menstrual cycle on exercise and work behaviours, and history of hormonal contraception use. We propose a novel Menstrual Symptom index (MSi) based on the presence and frequency of 18 commonly reported symptoms (range 0–54, where 54 would correspond to all 18 symptoms each occurring very frequently). Results: The most prevalent menstrual cycle symptoms were mood changes/anxiety (90.6%), tiredness/fatigue (86.2%), stomach cramps (84.2%) and breast pain/tenderness (83.1%). After controlling for body mass index, training volume and age, the MSi was associated with a greater likelihood of missing or changing training (OR=1.09 (CI 1.08 to 1.10); p≤0.05), missing a sporting event/competition (OR=1.07 (CI 1.06 to 1.08); p≤0.05), absenteeism from work/academia (OR=1.08 (CI 1.07 to 1.09); p≤0.05) and use of pain medication (OR=1.09 (CI 1.08 to 1.09); p≤0.05). Conclusion: Menstrual cycle symptoms are very common in exercising women, and women report that these symptoms compromise their exercise participation and work capacity. The MSi needs to be formally validated (psychometrics); at present, it provides an easy way to quantify the frequency of menstrual cycle symptoms.
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Cyclic hormone changes can affect physical and psychological attributes and may influence sports performance, although the effects are highly individual.
“These cyclic hormone changes can affect a number of physical and psychological attributes and, ultimately, may influence sports performance, although the effects are highly individual [88,90,91].”
From International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutritional concerns of the female athlete (2023) · cites this paper as [90]
The Results (Abstract, p. 1) report physical and psychological menstrual-cycle symptoms and associate greater symptom burden with missed training or competition. Strengths and Limitations (p. 10) describes menstrual cycles and symptom timing as individual. The study did not measure cyclic hormone changes or establish that those changes caused the symptoms or affected sports performance. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThere is a greater effect of sex hormone suppression of gluconeogenesis output during exercise during the active pill weeks of COC users and during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle of eumenorrheic women.
“This recommendation is particularly prudent during the active pill weeks of COC users and during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle of eumenorrheic women, where there is a greater effect of sex hormone suppression of gluconeogenesis output during exercise [90,166].”
From International society of sports nutrition position stand: nutritional concerns of the female athlete (2023) · cites this paper as [90]
The Survey analysis (p. 3) and Strengths and Limitations (p. 11) mention general metabolic effects of combined hormonal contraceptives, but the study excluded their users. Searches for gluconeogenesis and glucose production found no passage addressing suppression during exercise or comparing active pill weeks with the luteal phase. (LLM, conf=0.76)
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ResultA Pilot Study on the Impact of Menstrual Cycle Phase on Elite Australian Football Athletes
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ResultMore than a gut feeling: What is the role of the gastrointestinal tract in female athlete health?
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BackgroundSelf-citationHormonal Contraceptive Use in Football Codes in Australia
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“Negative menstrual cycle symptomology is often reported as a barrier to engaging in exercise training, resulting in reduced training frequency, intensity and volume [53].”
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“[41,42], one-third perceived heavy menstrual bleeding, and two-thirds reported symptoms that impaired their performances and self-medicating to alleviate the symptoms.”
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“In addition to these, participants were provided with a longer list of cognitive-related symptoms (e. g. headaches, brain fog, irritability) and physical symptoms (e.g. stomach pain, back pain) based on Bruinvels et al. (2021).”
Self-citationThe menstrual cycle and football: The experiences of African women football players
Mkumbuzi, N. S., Dlamini, S. B., Chibhabha, F., Govere, F. M., & Manda‐Taylor, L. (2021) · Science and Medicine in Football · doi:10.1080/24733938.2021.2005252 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“Like previous studies on women athletes from various sports (Bruinvels et al. 2020; Brown et al. 2020; Heather et al. 2021), the most commonly reported symptoms in this cohort were abdominal cramps, headache, mood swings, irritability, and breast tenderness.”
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“Other common symptoms include changes to mood, bloating, food cravings, fatigue and breast pain (11) .”
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Horan, D., Kelly, S., Hägglund, M., Blake, C. M., Roe, M., & Delahunt, E. (2023) · Sports Medicine - Open · doi:10.1186/s40798-023-00603-6 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
“There is some preliminary evidence suggesting that the incidence rate and type of injuries may vary across the eumenorrheic menstrual cycle [37], and that symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle affect athletes’ training and competition availability [39], but robust studies confirming the relationship between men…”
Background“Everyone was sort of just like ‘ew’”: Adolescent athletes’ experiences of menstruation in sport
Keil, V., Adam, M. E. K., & Neely, K. C. (2023) · Journal of Applied Sport Psychology · doi:10.1080/10413200.2023.2274458 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
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Gopalan, S. S., Mann, C., & Rhodes, R. E. (2024) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2024.107980 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Menstrual cycle tracking in professional volleyball athletes
Roffler, A., Fleddermann, M., de Haan, H., Krüger, K., & Zentgraf, K. (2024) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2024.1408711 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Are we asking the right questions? Female athletes’ perspectives on the menstrual cycle in sport
van den Berg, C. A., & Doyle–Baker, P. K. (2024) · Psychology of sport and exercise · doi:10.1016/j.psychsport.2024.102767 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Bruinvels, G., Goldsmith, E., Blagrove, R. C., Martin, D., Shaw, L., & Piasecki, J. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph192013622 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Self-citationKullik, L., Stork, M., Kiel, A., Kellmann, M., & Jakowski, S. (2024) · Journal of science and medicine in sport · doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2024.02.008 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Heyward, O. W., Elliott-Sale, K. J., Roe, G. A. B., Emmonds, S., Hornby, K., Stokes, K., & Jones, B. L. (2022) · Science and Medicine in Football · doi:10.1080/24733938.2022.2156588 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“%) of exercising women report experiencing at least one negative menstrual cycle symptom often (Bruinvels et al., 2021).”
BackgroundOptimizing the Gut Microbiota for Individualized Performance Development in Elite Athletes
Nolte, S., Krüger, K., Lenz, C., & Zentgraf, K. (2023) · Biology · doi:10.3390/biology12121491 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
“A large study including 1812 eumenorrheic women that were recruited by the Strava app reported that menstrual symptoms were associated with a greater likelihood of missing a sporting event and missing or changing training [157].”
BackgroundKolić, P. V., Thomas, L. B., Morse, C. I., & Hicks, K. M. (2022) · Journal of Applied Sport Psychology · doi:10.1080/10413200.2022.2032479 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“A small number of studies that have investigated women’s narratives of sport and exercise throughout the menstrual cycle described the period as highly individual and indicated a predominantly negative impact on sport performance and physical activity (Brown et al., 2021; Bruinvels et al., 2021; Findlay et al., 2020;…”
BackgroundLangan‐Evans, C., Hearris, M. A., McQuilliam, S. J., Burke, L. M., Stellingwerff, T., Elliott-Sale, K. J., & Morton, J. P. (2023) · International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching · doi:10.1177/17479541231163088 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
“…it has been demonstrated that an increased severity of menstrual symptoms (as experienced by non-HC users) is related to higher probability of missing training sessions, 8,34 it is noteworthy that this does not always manifest as differences in training pro fi les between HC users and non-HC users.”
BackgroundScott, D., Bruinvels, G., Norris, D., & Lovell, R. J. (2024) · International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance · doi:10.1123/ijspp.2022-0282 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Self-citationCOVID-19–Considerations for the Female Athlete
Bruinvels, G., Lewis, N. A., Blagrove, R. C., Scott, D., Simpson, R. J., Baggish, A. L., Rogers, J. P., Ackerman, K. E., & Pedlar, C. R. (2021) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2021.606799 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Self-citationOccurrence and Impacts of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Team-Sport Athletes: A Preliminary Survey
Wilson, P. B., Fearn, R. I., & Pugh, J. N. (2022) · Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine · doi:10.1097/jsm.0000000000001113 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“athletes, female team-sport athletes are at an elevated risk for reporting GI symptoms with training and competition, and this may translate to a substantial impact on performance and training.(22) Yet, further research is clearly needed as to how GI symptoms may vary throughout the menstrual cycle and what strategies…”
Background‘Everyone needs to be educated’: pupils’ voices on menstrual education
Brown, N., Forrest, L. J., Williams, R., Piasecki, J., & Bruinvels, G. (2024) · Reproductive Health · doi:10.1186/s12978-024-01862-6 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
“This extends to all participation levels (from recreational to elite) where menstrual-related symptoms compromise exercise participation [32].”
BackgroundSelf-citationRighi, I., & Barroso, R. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph192113841 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Moore, I. S., McCarthy-Ryan, M. F., Palmer, D., Perkins, J., & Verhagen, E. A. L. M. (2024) · European Journal of Sport Science · doi:10.1002/ejsc.12089 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
“%) and can reduce training and playing availability (Bruinvels et al., 2021; Findlay et al., 2020).”
Coaches’ ability to support elite and adolescent soccer players throughout their menstrual cycle
Donnelly, J., Macrae, E. H. R., Valentin, S., White, A. C., Easton, C., & Forrest, L. J. (2024) · International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching · doi:10.1177/17479541241255280 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Doohan, M. A., King, N. A., White, M. J., & Stewart, I. B. (2023) · Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare · doi:10.1016/j.srhc.2023.100853 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Mkumbuzi, N. S., Dlamini, S. B., Serner, A., Kryger, K. O., Brown, N., Larsen, B., & Chibhabha, F. (2023) · Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal · doi:10.1123/wspaj.2023-0024 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Lee, S. J. L., Sim, M., van Rens, F. E. C. A., & Peiffer, J. J. (2023) · Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise · doi:10.1249/mss.0000000000003289 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“To add to the complexity of understanding hormonal fluctuations, menstrual manipulation through hormonal contraceptives is widely practiced by many female athletes (14,15) to alleviate menstrual discomfort and reduce inconveniences that may impact their quality of training and competition (16).”
BackgroundDelleli, S., Ouergui, I., Messaoudi, H., Bridge, C. A., Ardigò, L. P., & Chtourou, H. (2024) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-024-64880-1 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Menstrual Cycle Tracking in Sports Research: Challenges, Progress, and Future Directions
Dole, A., Beaven, C. M., & Sims, S. T. (2023) · Physiologia · doi:10.3390/physiologia3040044 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Meijen, C., & Martin, E. A. (2024) · International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching · doi:10.1177/17479541241269274 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Badenhorst, C. E. (2024) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-024-02061-w · Cited by 13 · see citing works
McNulty, K. L., Taim, B. C., Freemas, J. A., Hassan, A. A., Lupton‐Smith, C., Oleka, C. T., Scott, D., Howatson, G., Moore, I. S., Yung, K. K., et al. (2024) · Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal · doi:10.1123/wspaj.2024-0064 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Self-citationQuantitative Hormone Analysis Reveals Sources of Variability in the Menstrual Cycle
Francis, G., & Keay, N. (2024) · Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal · doi:10.1123/wspaj.2023-0062 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Menstrual Cycle and Hormonal Contraceptive Symptom Severity and Frequency in Athletic Females
Kiemle-Gabbay, L., Valentin, S., Martin, D., & Forrest, L. J. (2024) · Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal · doi:10.1123/wspaj.2023-0086 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“A recent study of 6,812 exercising women reported regularly experiencing an average of 11 MC-related symptoms, including “ mood changes/anxiety, stomach cramps and increased fatigue ” (Bruinvels et al., 2021).”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialSelf-Reported Performance and Hormonal-Cycle-Related Symptoms in Competitive Female Athletes
Ihalainen, J. K., Takalo, S., Mjøsund, K., Solli, G. S., Valtonen, M., Kokkonen, M., Hackney, A. C., & Mikkonen, R. S. (2024) · Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal · doi:10.1123/wspaj.2023-0102 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Flood, T. R., Kuennen, M. R., Blacker, S. D., Myers, S., Walker, E. F., & Lee, B. (2022) · Cytokine · doi:10.1016/j.cyto.2022.155991 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Baranauskas, M. N., Freemas, J. A., Carter, S. J., Blodgett, J. M., Pedlar, C., & Bruinvels, G. (2023) · Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport · doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2023.07.001 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citationTaylor, P., & Greig, A. J. (2024) · Women s Reproductive Health · doi:10.1080/23293691.2024.2323732 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Brown, G. A., Jones, M. D., Cole, B., Shawdon, A., & Duffield, R. (2024) · International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance · doi:10.1123/ijspp.2023-0522 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Influence of Menstrual Phase and Symptoms on Match Running in Professional Footballers
Brown, G. A., & Duffield, R. (2024) · Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports · doi:10.1111/sms.14734 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
“The questionnaire was adapted from the Menstrual Symptoms Index [22], which is an online survey to assesses symptom presence and frequency.”
Menstrual Cycle Phase-Based Strength and Conditioning Training for Elite Team Sport Female Athletes
Moore, S. R., Bruinvels, G., & Smith‐Ryan, A. E. (2024) · Strength and conditioning journal · doi:10.1519/ssc.0000000000000879 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Self-citationChica-Latorre, S., Knight-Agarwal, C. R., McKune, A. J., & Minehan, M. (2025) · Journal of science and medicine in sport · doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2025.06.005 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Nolan, D. A., Horgan, P., MacNamara, Á., & Egan, B. (2023) · International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching · doi:10.1177/17479541231169371 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Larochelambert, Q. D., Hamri, I., Chassard, T., Meignié, A., Storme, F., Dupuit, M., Diry, A., Toussaint, J., Louis, P., Coulmy, N., et al. (2024) · BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine · doi:10.1136/bmjsem-2023-001810 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Santos, C., Lopes, M., Brito, J., Kryger, K. O., Wilke, C. F., & Travassos, B. F. R. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1576752 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Vanmeerhaeghe, A. F., Pujol-Marzo, M., Milà, R., Campos, B., Nevot-Casas, O., Casadevall-Sayeras, P., & Peña, J. (2025) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare13101154 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Kullik, L., Isenmann, E., Schalla, J., Kellmann, M., & Jakowski, S. (2025) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2025.1663657 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“Frontiers in Physiology 08 frontiersin.org Frequency of menstrual cycle symptoms (measured by the Menstrual Symptom index; Bruinvels et al., 2021).”
Chica-Latorre, S., Knight-Agarwal, C. R., McKune, A. J., & Minehan, M. (2025) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2025.1597469 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“HCs are commonly prescribed for long-term relief of menstrual-related issues in both sports and the general population (4, 6, 29).”
Menstrual Cycle Effects on Sports Performance and Adaptations to Training: A Historical Perspective
Hackney, A. C., Hansen, M., & Melin, A. (2025) · Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports · doi:10.1111/sms.70107 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“…report this phenomenon, with some female athletes, but not all, clearly reporting that their sports performance as well as their training are compromised at various points in their menstrual cycle (e.g., some findings suggest specifically at the late-luteal, menses, and early follicular) [55–60].”
Nolte, S., Maier, C., Klügel, S., Weyh, C., Hacker, S., Badenhorst, C. E., & Krüger, K. (2025) · Physiological Reports · doi:10.14814/phy2.70522 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
“Menstrual iron losses are estimated to range from 10 to 40 mg per cycle (Angeli et al., 2016) and can therefore significantly impact iron balance, especially when combined with exercise-induced losses and increased erythropoietic demands (Bruinvels et al., 2021).”
Menstrual Cycle and Athletic Status Interact to Influence Symptoms, Mood, and Cognition in Females
Ronca, F., Watson, E., Metcalf, I., & Tari, B. (2025) · Sports Medicine - Open · doi:10.1186/s40798-025-00924-8 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
“Finally, participants were provided with lists of cognitive symptoms (e.g., headaches, brain fog), physical symptoms (e.g., back pain) commonly experienced throughout the menstrual cycle, in line with previously validated methods [36, 37] (see Supplementary material).”
Power in the flow: how menstrual experiences shape women's strength training performance
Augustsson, S. R., & Findhé-Malenica, A. (2025) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2025.1519825 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
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“…that MC related symptoms perceptually negatively affect their performance (Martin et al. 2018; Armour et al. 2020; Findlay et al. 2020; Solli et al. 2020; Bruinvels et al. 2021; Carmichael et al. 2021; Ekenros et al. 2022; Heyward et al. 2022; Kiemle-Gabbay et al. 2024; Oester et al. 2024).”
Howatson, G., Russell, S., Pedlar, C. R., & Halson, S. L. (2025) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-025-02246-x · Cited by 6 · see citing works
“The more symptoms experienced, the greater the probability of missing training, using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and missing competition [15].”
Self-citationMikkonen, R. S., Ihalainen, J. K., Bruinvels, G., Mkumbuzi, N. S., Smith‐Ryan, A. E., Kaikkonen, M., Kasongo, M., & Hackney, A. C. (2025) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-025-02338-8 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citationStitelmann, A., Bruyneel, A.-V., Enéa, C., & Boisseau, N. (2026) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-026-02412-9 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Schulz, M., Bø, K., & Gram, M. C. D. (2024) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph22010013 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Oester, C., Norris, D., Lovell, R. J., Pedlar, C. R., Bruinvels, G., & Kalkhoven, J. T. (2026) · Sports Medicine · doi:10.1007/s40279-026-02411-w · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“Exercise has been shown to support mood regulation by increasing dopamine and serotonin levels [243], and improving sleep [244], body composition [245] and physical symptoms [121].”
Self-citationTracking Health and Fitness Variables in Females: Menstrual Cycle Considerations
Bruinvels, G., & Pedlar, C. R. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-21881-1_13 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Self-citationHunter, N. N., & Smith, M. A. (2024) · Seminars in Reproductive Medicine · doi:10.1055/s-0044-1791508 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
“8 Exercise tests have great variability in the forms of training (i.e., aerobic, anaerobic, heavy resistance training, light resistance training) as well as the types of exercises conducted within those training categories.”
Osborne, J. O., Storvand, J. H., Engseth, T. P., Solli, G. S., Morseth, B., Taylor, M., Welde, B., Elliott-Sale, K. J., Andersson, E. P., Sandbakk, Ø. B., et al. (2025) · Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports · doi:10.1111/sms.70096 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“The majority of respondents (81%), regardless of HC use, re-ported regularly experiencing at least one negative cycle-related symptom, such as bloating or mood changes, during most or every menstrual cycle or as the result of HC usage, which is consistent with previous findings [6, 39, 40].”
Badier, N., Dupuit, M., Chassard, T., Barlier, K., Lafitte, A., Saulière, G., Delrieu, L., Toussaint, J., & Antero, J. (2025) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2025.1693190 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Doornweerd, A. M., & Gerritsen, L. (2025) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s003329172400357x · Cited by 5 · see citing works
RELATIONSHIP OF FEMALE BREASTS TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, EXERCISE AND SPORT - Part 1
Lombardi, J. A., Corrêa, R. P. F., Silva, R. N., & Parmigiano, T. R. (2023) · Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte · doi:10.1590/1517-8692202430022022_0122i · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Barlow, A., Blodgett, J. M., Williams, S., Pedlar, C. R., & Bruinvels, G. (2023) · medRxiv · doi:10.1101/2023.07.12.23292497 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
“Hormones vary substantially during the luteal phase and there is a high prevalence of symptoms specifically in the late luteal phase (7, 27).”
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Menstrual-Cycle and Hormonal-Contraceptive Tracking in Gaelic Football: From the Lab to the Field
Taim, B. C., Catháin, C. Ó., Elliott-Sale, K. J., Madigan, S. M., & Chéilleachair, N. N. (2024) · International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance · doi:10.1123/ijspp.2023-0489 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Badier, N., Dupuit, M., Dormion, G., Chassard, T., Barlier, K., Lafitte, A., Delrieu, L., Toussaint, J., & Antero, J. (2025) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app15031357 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“It also explains the prevalence of symptoms observed during the menstruation phase and the pill break [15,26], similarly observed in the general population [27].”
Perceived recovery-stress states and sleep in pre- and post-menarche elite youth swimmers
Kullik, L., Kiel, A., Kellmann, M., & Jakowski, S. (2025) · International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology · doi:10.1080/1612197x.2025.2481451 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“This contrasts with the findings of Bruinvels et al. (2021) and Kullik et al. (2024), who reported values above 20, and might align with the observations of Czajkowska et al. (2015), who suggested that menstrual disorders are more frequent in adult athletes.”
Rotllan, C., Hagenaers, J., Colls, M., & Viscor, G. (2025) · European Journal of Applied Physiology · doi:10.1007/s00421-025-05770-w · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“…the literature (Solli et al. 2020; Oester et al. 2024), followed by mental symptoms such as irritability (45%, n = 9) and mood changes (40%, n = 8), while other authors suggested that mental affectations are more frequent during the menstrual phase than somatic symptoms (Bruinvels et al. 2021).”
Günay, A., & Karahanoğlu, A. (2025) · Interacting with Computers · doi:10.1093/iwc/iwaf040 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Early Sexual Health and Reproductive Implications in Pediatric Rheumatic Diseases
Edens, C. (2021) · Rheumatic Disease Clinics of North America · doi:10.1016/j.rdc.2021.09.015 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Can period-related symptoms predict menstrual manipulation among Australian female cyclists?
Lee, S. J. L., Peiffer, J. J., Haakonssen, E., & van Rens, F. E. C. A. (2024) · Journal of Sports Sciences · doi:10.1080/02640414.2024.2334485 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“…almost all our respondents and consistently reported by exercising women in previous literature regardless of skill levels and sport disciplines (Brown et al., 2021; Bruinvels et al., 2021), influenced self-efficacy beliefs that exaggerated negative perceptual responses to exercise during training.”
BackgroundResultInfluentialSantaBarbara, K., Helms, E. R., & Harris, N. (2024) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · doi:10.1080/15502783.2024.2433743 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Crawford, L., McNulty, K. L., Hicks, K. M., Hall, E. T., & Ansdell, P. (2025) · Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal · doi:10.1123/wspaj.2024-0137 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Crespo, P., Herranz, N., Estella, V., Morencos, E., Herranz, M., & Rodas, G. (2025) · Frontiers in Sports and Active Living · doi:10.3389/fspor.2025.1642415 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Bruinvels, G., Goldsmith, E., Blagrove, R., Simpkin, A., Lewis, N., Morton, K., Suppiah, A., Rogers, J. P., Ackerman, K. E., Newell, J., & Pedlar, C.
- Affiliations
- St Mary's University Twickenham London (GB)
- Loughborough University (GB)
- National University of Ireland (IE)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- Boston Children's Hospital (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bruinvels, Georgie
- ORCID
- Venue
- British Journal of Sports Medicine
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2020-11-16
- Volume
- 55
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 438-443
- ISSN
- 0306-3674 (ISSN-L)
- 1473-0480
- OpenAlex
- W3098022168
- Cited by
- 173
- References
- 38
- Citations by year
- 2026: 37 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 9
- FWCI
- 9.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- figshare.com
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- British Journal of Sports Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- St Mary's University Repository (ULCC) (acceptedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Menstrual Health and Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Reproductive Medicine › Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Keywords
- menstrual symptoms, female athletes, absenteeism, fatigue, mood changes, hormonal contraception, analgesic use, exercise performance, menstrual status, training volume, body mass index, training recovery
- MeSH terms
- Absenteeism, Adult, Affect, Analgesics, Anxiety, Competitive Behavior, Fatigue, Feeding Behavior, Female, Health Surveys, Humans, Menstrual Cycle, Sports, Exercise, Abdominal Pain, Prevalence, Mobile Applications
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