How women athletes struggle with their periods — UK report looks at England-India Test match

The Telegraph report says almost half the English team and at least one Indian batter were on their periods, talks about anxiety female athletes deal with, especially over wearing whites.

England women cricket team players during a Test match against India | Twitter | @englandcricket

New Delhi: In June this year, when the England and Indian women cricket teams were playing a Test match at the Bristol County Ground, almost half the English team and at least one batter in the Indian team were on their period, a report in The Telegraph says.

The report talks about the anxiety women athletes face during menstruation and how talking about periods is still considered a taboo in sport.

England opener Tammy Beaumont told The Telegraph that she asked one of the on-field umpires, who was a woman, about the drinks break protocol for those dealing with periods, and the umpire was accommodating.

“Literally on the second day, one of the Indian batters had to go off for that reason. I think in the week leading up, everyone was working out whether they were going to come on or not. For a lot of us, being on while wearing whites for a Test was quite a daunting prospect — there was an awful lot of anxiety around it,” Beaumont said.

In preparation for the Test, Beaumont was offered tranexamic acid, a clotting medication that reduces the volume of menstrual bleeding, and mefenamic acid, an anti-inflammatory pain relieving aid, the report says. However, she did not end up taking them due to the potential side effects of migraines, a condition she struggles with when menstruating.

The one-off women’s Test concluded in a draw, with India’s opener Shafali Varma being named the player of the match.

Breaking taboos

The report mentions the extent to which dealing with female athletes’ periods has been a taboo topic, citing research from 2015 which says that while 55 per cent of female athletes stated that periods negatively impact their training and performance, only 22 per cent actually “sought medical help” for cases of heavy menstrual bleeding.

Beaumont and the England & Wales Cricket Board have tried to fight this stigma through the establishment of a women’s health group, headed by Dr Thamindu Wedatilake.

“There is not always the same breadth of research across women’s sport as there is in men’s, so it’s important that we talk to the athletes and tailor our approach to ensure they’re as well supported and provided for as possible,” the report quotes Dr Wedatilake as saying.

However, little additional information on the activities of the health group is provided on the England Cricket Board’s website.

“[The women’s health group] focuses on closing the body-literacy gap among players in a bid to make marginal gains in performance following the introduction of domestic full-time contracts last year,” the report says.

The age-old tradition of wearing all-white kits to contrast with the red cricket ball during play is a source of major anxiety for women cricketers on their periods.

Beaumont reiterated that white kits must remain the norm for women’s Test cricket, but recommended that younger age-group female cricketers should be given the option to not wear whites when on periods and susceptible to menstrual bleeding “accidents”.