Swim England release female health resource on the menstrual cycle

The first of Swim England’s new female health resources has been published which focuses on the menstrual cycle.

The detailed document, developed by the national governing body, aims to provide information to female participants on each of the stages of the menstrual cycle, how it can affect the body and what they can do to help themselves and others to participate aquatics.

It has been put together by Swim England sport science and medicine manager Diane Elliot and Swim England sports scientist Craig Robertson to encourage female participants to not let their period stop them from getting active.

It is the first of a series of resources Swim England are producing to provide information on female health subjects for people who enjoy aquatics for both leisure and competition.

As well as providing information around the menstrual cycle itself, the resource also covers the products available to support continued participation in aquatics, advice for training and competition, how to have discussions with support networks and links to several further resources.

It is now available in the new female health section on the Swim England website which can be found here.

Increasing confidence

Commenting on the release of the resource, Elliot hopes that it helps all female participants increase their confidence in and around poolside.

She said: “The menstrual cycle is a natural part of every female’s life yet so many think aquatic sport is something they cannot do when on their period.

“It’s our body’s way of telling us we are healthy and although some of the side effects are problematic, we should celebrate that.

“The water is for everyone and no one should feel sidelined by something natural. Our goal with this resource is to provide the knowledge and resources to ensure that every female can stay active and in the pool.

“We hope that providing this information helps women understand their bodies better and helps them to increase their confidence in and around the water.”

Swim England will be continuing to develop female health resources across the coming months with the next piece focusing on specific female nutrition information.

For more information on this or other aspects of Swim England’s female resources work, or to share stories of good practice with Swim England’s Female Athlete Health Group, please email [email protected].

The full resource on the menstrual cycle for aquatic participants can be found here.