As the Women’s Euros approach their climax amidst a landmark summer for women’s sports, a scientific revolution is quietly underway.
Beyond the thrilling matches, researchers are delving into the unique ways elite sports impact the female body.
This includes investigating how breasts affect running mechanics and how specialized sports bras can provide a competitive edge; the potential influence of the menstrual cycle on performance and the utility of period tracking; and the factors contributing to increased injury risks, along with preventative strategies.
This marks a significant departure from past attitudes, where professional female athletes felt they were simply regarded as “mini-men.”
Recall the defining moment from the 2022 European Championship final.
During extra time at Wembley, Chloe Kelly of the Lionesses scored the decisive goal against Germany.
In a moment of pure elation, she removed her England jersey, revealing her sports bra to the world.
This bra was designed by Prof. Joanna Wakefield-Scurr of the University of Portsmouth, affectionately known as the “Bra Professor.”
Here are some key insights from her research on breasts:
Motion sensors used in laboratory experiments have demonstrated that the movement of breast tissue alters overall body mechanics, affecting athletic performance.
“For some women, their breasts can be quite heavy, and that shifting weight can alter torso movement and even affect the force exerted on the ground,” Prof. Wakefield-Scurr explained.
Compensating for bouncing breasts by restricting upper body movement changes pelvic positioning and shortens stride length. Therefore, sports bras are essential performance gear, not just for comfort or aesthetics.
“We observed that inadequate breast support led to a four-centimeter reduction in stride length,” Prof. Wakefield-Scurr noted.
“Losing four centimeters per stride in a marathon equates to a mile.”
Sports bras also protect the delicate breast structures. “Stretching them causes permanent damage,” the professor warned, emphasizing that “prevention is better than cure.”
The menstrual cycle significantly affects the body, influencing emotions, mood, sleep, and causing fatigue, headaches, and cramps.
Calli Hauger-Thackery, an Olympic distance runner representing Team GB, believes discussing the cycle’s impact on sports is “still taboo, which is unacceptable given the challenges it presents.”
Calli consistently notices changes in her body leading up to her period.
“I feel very fatigued with heavy legs, and sometimes it feels like I’m running through mud. Everything feels more strained,” she described.
Calli relies heavily on her menstruation tracker, as her period is a source of anxiety, “especially before big races.”
During the Boston Marathon in April, Calli’s period was due. Despite finishing sixth, she wondered if she could have performed even better.
The menstrual cycle involves rhythmic fluctuations in estrogen and progesterone levels. But how significantly do these affect athletic performance?
“It’s highly individual and nuanced; it’s not as simple as saying the menstrual cycle affects performance,” explained Prof. Kirsty Elliott-Sale, an expert in female endocrinology and exercise physiology at Manchester Metropolitan University.
“Competitions, personal bests, and world records have been set, won, and lost throughout all phases of the menstrual cycle,” she added.
Notably, Paula Radcliffe broke the marathon world record while enduring period cramps at the 2002 Chicago Marathon.
Determining the menstrual cycle’s impact on athletic ability requires understanding the physiological changes caused by hormones, the challenges of performing while experiencing symptoms, the psychological effects of anxiety, and perceptions related to these factors.
Prof. Elliott-Sale stated that “there isn’t a phase where you’re inherently stronger or weaker,” but hormones like estrogen and progesterone could potentially alter aspects of the body such as bones, muscles, or the heart.
“What we don’t yet understand is whether these changes significantly impact performance,” she added.
She agreed that poor sleep, fatigue, and cramping could negatively affect performance and that dread and anxiety are “tangible” issues for athletes competing during their periods.
She has spoken to athletes who “sometimes even triple up with period pants” to avoid leaks and embarrassment, noting that “this adds a heavy mental burden.”
The Sale Sharks Women’s rugby team has partnered with Manchester Metropolitan University.
Katy Daley-McLean, former England rugby captain and all-time leading point scorer, shared insights from their work.
The team has initiated open discussions about menstruation to understand its potential effects and plan accordingly, including strategies like taking ibuprofen three days beforehand, rather than feeling helpless.
“Through knowledge and information, we can openly discuss this, implement plans, and modify our behavior to enhance rugby performance,” Daley-McLean stated.
Increased attention on women’s sports has also highlighted differences in injury susceptibility.
Much focus has been on anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, which can be severe and require a year of recovery.
ACL injury risk is three to eight times higher in women than men, depending on the sport, and is becoming more prevalent, according to Dr. Thomas Dos’Santos, a sports biomechanics researcher at Manchester Metropolitan University.
However, there is “no simple explanation” for this increased risk in women, he notes.
Anatomical differences may play a role. Women’s wider hips mean the femur begins at a broader position, altering the angle at which it connects to the lower leg at the knee, which may increase risk.
Additionally, the ACL is slightly smaller in women, “making it potentially weaker,” Dr. Dos’Santos explained.
ACL injuries can occur at any stage of the menstrual cycle, and hormonal changes are also under investigation, including a study sponsored by FIFA.
Elevated estrogen levels before ovulation may alter ligament properties, making them more flexible and “theoretically increasing injury risk,” he said.
However, Dr. Dos’Santos argues that it’s important to consider more than just anatomy, as women often don’t receive the same quality of support and strength training as men.
He draws a comparison to ballet, where dancers receive high-quality training, and “the incidence rates are basically trivial between men and women.”
Research is underway to determine whether ACL injury risk can be minimized by training female athletes to move in subtly different ways.
However, this may reduce performance, as techniques that strain the ACL—like shoulder drops to deceive defenders—are necessary in sports like soccer.
“We can’t wrap them in cotton wool and tell them to avoid playing sports,” Dr. Dos’Santos said. “We need to ensure they are strong enough to tolerate those loads, but it’s not as simple as saying we can 100% eradicate ACL injuries; we can’t.”
Despite the remaining unanswered questions, Katy Daley-McLean at Sale Sharks Women emphasizes the progress made.
When she first played in 2007, assumptions about women’s athletic performance were based on data from male rugby players.
“We were literally treated as mini-men,” Daley-McLean recalls.
Now, she believes girls and women feel less like outsiders in sports, which is not only improving elite performance but also encouraging more women to stay involved.
“It’s awesome and worth celebrating. Statistics show that body image and issues related to periods and inadequate sports bras are major reasons young girls drop out of sports, and these issues are easily addressed.”
Inside Health was produced by Gerry Holt
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