The Sports Desk

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Unique insight into the biggest sports news stories and the human issues behind them.

BBC Sport's Sarah Mulkerrins, Dan Roan and Nesta McGregor and their guests take you behind the headlines and tell you what's really going on.

Unique insight into the biggest sports news stories and the human issues behind them.

BBC Sport's Sarah Mulkerrins, Dan Roan and Nesta McGregor and their guests take you behind the headlines and tell you what's really going on.

The Sports Desk: We’re Not All The Same. Period

We’re Not All The Same. Period

BBC Radio 5 Live - The Sports Desk, We’re Not All The Same. Period

Why do we know so little about periods and how they affect performance in sport?

Half of the global population have periods, so why do we still know so little about them? With more research around the menstrual cycle could help propel women’s sport.

‘If men had periods menstruation would become an inevitable boast-worthy, masculine event: men would brag about how long and how much’ - Gloria Steinem, 1978 The majority of women experience a period every month and that’s no exception for female athletes. So why do we still know so little about periods? 

In the first episode of a new series, Women’s Sport Matters, Katie Smith explores how the menstrual cycle affects performance and some of the myths around periods in sport. What do we know? What do we think we know? And is there a link between periods and a rise in anterior cruciate ligament knee injuries in female footballers? Bristol Bears’ back-rower Daisie Mayes tells us how she’s been forced off the field in tears from the pain of her period and how she’s coping with endometriosis and playing elite level rugby. 

We hear from former British distance runner, Pippa Woolven, on the work she’s doing to make more people aware of the dangers of Relative Energy Deficiency In Sport (RED-S) - a condition brought on by overtraining and under-fuelling and can stop women from having periods. Open University Senior Lecturer in Sport and Fitness, Simon Rea, and Dr Emma Ross from the Well HQ tell us about the latest research into whether periods can boost athletic ability. 

Meanwhile Women’s sports reporter at the Telegraph, Fi Tomas, tells us about her experiences sharing the stories of athletes and normalising the menstrual cycle in mainstream media. PANEL: Daisie Mayes, Pippa Woolven, Simon Rea, Dr Emma Ross, Fi Tomas.

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We’re Not All The Same. Period

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