For far too long, conversations around the menstrual cycle and athletic performance have focused only on the challenges, such as fatigue, cramps, and inconvenience. But there’s another side to the story. The menstrual cycle can actually be a powerful indicator of health, strength, and recovery capacity for female athletes. It’s time we start talking about that! In this blog post, discover how the menstrual cycle impacts athletic performance in a positive way and hear stories from professional athletes sharing how having a regular period supports strength, recovery, and long-term success in sport.
The Menstrual Cycle and Athletic Performance
You’ve (hopefully) heard health providers shouting about the importance of having a regular menstrual period as an athlete… but what about from professional athletes themselves?
While it’s valid to acknowledge the discomfort and unpredictability of certain menstrual symptoms, I don’t think we talk enough about the positive impacts of the menstrual cycle on our health and performance.
That’s why I’m spotlighting a few of my favorite positive period posts from professional athletes who’ve opened up about their experiences with menstruation, not as a setback, but as a sign of strength and resilience.
Elise Cranny: Fueling for Strength and a Regular Cycle
Elise Cranny, a 2x Olympian, USA national champion, and American record holder, shared a powerful post about setting non-performance goals so that her sole focus isn’t always on her performance. With these outcome goals, she also set short-term process goals to keep her on track and provide motivation and feedback along the way. One of these outcome goals she set was to get a regular period and the accompanying process goal was to fuel properly.
Some of the changes she made to support her cycle included:
- Adding coconut oil to her smoothies
- Making evening snacks a regular habit
- Making snacks more substantial (fruit and nut butter, trail mix, etc.)
- Eating before her morning run
- Adding avocado to lunch or dinner
- Setting reminders to avoid long gaps without eating
She followed this up with this post stating:
“Getting your period does NOT make you slower!!!! It allows you to be stronger, recover faster, and train at a whole new level. Turn the fear into empowerment. A strong, healthy, confident, happy person has no limits.”
These small but meaningful shifts were part of a bigger commitment to supporting her overall health, not just performance metrics.
Colleen Quigley: Using Her Period as a Monthly Check-In
Next up is Colleen Quigley, Olympian and USA national champion. In this post, Colleen shares that she decided to switch to a non-hormonal form of birth control (copper IUD), stating:
“I want to get a natural period so that I can use that as a tool to check in with myself every month as a sign that my body is getting enough fuel to support the many activities I ask it to do.”
(Regular menstrual periods are a great tool to assess for adequate energy intake; however, if you are on hormonal birth control, it either stops your period or gives you a “withdrawal bleed,” so it is no longer a reliable tool).
After this, Colleen shared in this post the monthly tradition she started in which every month that she got her period on time, she would celebrate with a donut. Doing this helped reframe her period as a positive event, gave her something to look forward to each month, and acted as a way to say “thank you” to her body.
Emma Pallant-Browne: Competing Boldly on Her Heaviest Day
Last, but certainly not least is Emma Pallant-Browne, 4x World champion, who was racing a triathlon that just so happened to fall on the heaviest day of her period. She ended up bleeding through her uniform and the photos went viral, inviting many comments, not all positive or uplifting.
She responded in this post stating:
“[Periods are] natural and coming from eating issues as an endurance runner when I was growing up where I didn’t have my period, I now see it as beautiful.”
Not only does she now have a regular period, but she is stronger, faster, AND can place 4th at a very competitive race while on the heaviest day of her period!
Reframing Periods As a Performance Advantage, Not a Weakness
While having a period every month isn’t the most convenient or enjoyable at times, it is a sign that our bodies are functioning properly and are strong, healthy, and durable. For athletes especially, a regular menstrual cycle is a vital sign of health. It tells us that our bodies are getting the fuel, rest, and care they need to recover, grow, and perform.
(There are some exceptions of athletes who are under-fueling and have not lost their period).
The more we tune into our bodies and cycles, understanding the different phases and symptoms, the better we can adapt, prioritize things accordingly, and manage symptoms to perform our best on any given day.
And when we celebrate those signs of health? We rewrite the narrative around what it means to be a strong, high-performing athlete.
Fueling for Your Cycle, Performance, and Longevity
Your period is more than just a monthly inconvenience, it’s a powerful tool for tracking your health, recovery, and readiness as an athlete. If you’re navigating irregular cycles, low energy, or feeling like you’re constantly hitting a wall in training, it might be time to take a closer look at your fueling strategy.
Want to feel stronger, more energized, and more in sync with your body?
Join the waitlist for my upcoming Athlete Nutrition Challenge, where I’ll guide you through the exact steps to support your menstrual cycle and optimize your performance with confidence and clarity.
Ready to support your own athletes through RED-S with real, evidence-based strategies? Join my RED-S Informed Provider Masterclass and learn how to screen for, identify, and address under-fueling so you can be a trusted resource for athlete health and performance.