Athletes: More research needed on impact of menstruation

Eilish McColgan has revealed that period pain forced her to pull out of competitions twice as she called for more openness about menstruation.

The Commonwealth Games gold medallist said there should be greater awareness of how menstrual cycles affect athletic performance.

McColgan, 31, who won a silver and a bronze at the European Athletics Championships this week, said the issue should not be dismissed as an “embarrassing topic”.

She spoke out after a row erupted over the appointment of a man, Jason Grant, as “period dignity officer” for Tayside.

She said: “It still fascinates me that a large majority of women struggle with their menstrual cycles every month and yet no one seems to have the answers.

“Even now, the research in regards to sport, especially, is sparse. I presume it would be addressed in far more detail if it affected men, especially our top male athletes.

“Can you imagine how many Premier League footballers would be left on the bench, curled up into a wee ball, just waiting for the full-time whistle to be blown so they can go home and sleep?”

She added: “Before Oslo earlier this season, I’d only ever dropped out of two competitions. On both occasions, periods were the perpetrator. The only way to describe it is that my legs feel like they have been replaced with concrete blocks. And that a screwdriver is carving out the Taj Mahal around my ovaries.

“Some months, it’s manageable. Other months, it’s unbearable. There’s no telling which Eilish you’re going to get on the day.

“To try to run, or at least perform to the best of my ability, is an almost impossible task. This shouldn’t be an embarrassing topic. We need to feel comfortable having this discussion.”

McColgan spoke out after Scotland became the first country in the world to protect the right to free period products in law.

The Period Products Act, proposed by Labour MSP Monica Lennon, means councils, schools, colleges and universities will be required to provide tampons and pads.

Last week British elite sprinter Dina Asher-Smith has also called for further research into how periods affect performance in sport.

Asher-Smith limped out of the European Championships 100m final on Tuesday after suffering cramp in her calves, which she later said was due to her menstrual cycle.

She said: “It is a huge topic for women in sport. It is something I think more people need to research, from a sports science perspective.

“Sometimes you see girls who have been so consistent have a random dip, and behind the scenes they have been really struggling.

“There’s no tear, no damage. But I got cramp in both my calves and I wasn’t about to go and run a whole race and probably tear them.”