Lost Olympic medal due to menstruation, says Mirabai Chanu: How period cycles affect athletes

Indian weightlifter Mirabai Chanu had won a prestigious silver medal for India in the 49 kg category at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. She was also a top contender for winning a medal at the Paris Olympics. However, the 30-year-old finished in fourth place, with a total score of 199 kg. Her silver medal-winning performance at Tokyo had seen her lifting 202 kg, while her personal best is 205 kg. What happened to her in Paris? The athlete had revealed that she was on the third day of her period and it affected her body. While many women often struggle to handle periods while they are at work, one might wonder how female athletes would handle the condition while competing at events like the Olympics.

In her interviews, Indian Olympic medal winner and boxer Mary Com has revealed that she was always on periods during all of her major boxing events. Interestingly, it has only benefitted her, though the cycle used to make her uncomfortable. Apparently, menstruation gives her a lot more strength than usual. Cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues has also revealed in an interview that she is blessed to have painless periods, while many of her teammates couldn't even walk on the days of their cycle. Runner Dutee Chand, meanwhile, said her performance gets affected when she trains during periods and therefore, coaches give one or two days of break during the time. True to these examples, the period cycle affects every woman differently. However, for those women athletes who generally experience painful periods, here's how the cycle affects their bodies:

Effect of period cycle on performance
Medical experts say heavy periods and blood loss have the potential to weaken athletes and could even affect their resilience. It can also affect their training routine and mar their strategies for their game, both in team and individual events. This can also further lead to severe mental stress, which affects their focus and confidence. Menstruation can also lower the oxygen level, which in turn increases the lactic acid in the female body. Some athletes go for hormone regulatory pills to delay the menstrual cycle, when the cycle collides with their main event. However, such medicines come with side effects like nausea, weight gain, mood swings and blood clotting. So, many try to manage menstruation without relying too much on medicines. They track their cycle using period tracking apps to schedule their training sessions. This helps them manage the cycle without feeling too weak or uncomfortable.