Practical preparation.
Period products, spare clothing, toilet access and a trusted person to ask. Avoid shame and listen when symptoms disrupt participation.
04 / Sport & Community
Different cycles. Same potential.
From Saturday grassroots football to the national conversation. You should not have to choose between understanding your body and staying in the game.
For players, parents, coaches and clubs.
Match-day preparation, supplies, a way to ask for support and guidance on when to suggest medical assessment. Cycle phase alone is not a universal performance or training prescription.
44%
What the research says
Of UK girls aged 12–18 who had started their periods, 44% reported being unable to take part in sport or physical activity because of period symptoms.
The 44% finding comes from a survey of 3,001 girls aged 12–18, of whom 2,620 had started menstruating (Wellbeing of Women, December 2023). It concerns reported disruption to sporting participation, not a measured reduction in athletic performance or evidence that 44% of all adult women miss sport.
A separate February 2025 consumer survey found 51% of surveyed women said they avoid exercise on their period. The two surveys asked different people different questions, so they should not be combined.
See all 53 research sources
Free download · 29 pages
The facts book. You are not alone.
53 sources and 120 evidence points in one illustrated review. Free for everyone — just tell us where to send updates.
Get the free facts book
Free poster · Print & put it up
Help someone near you know they're not alone.
Download our free A4 poster. Anyone who scans the QR code finds the free facts book, support and helplines — quietly, on their own phone, no questions asked.
- GP surgeries & pharmacies
- Schools, colleges & universities
- Football & sports clubs
- Female & accessible toilets
- Workplaces & staff rooms
- Libraries, gyms & community centres
Please ask permission before putting it up, and swap it if it gets tatty. Free to print and share.
Support, not diagnosis.
Severe pain, heavy bleeding or symptoms affecting everyday life deserve appropriate assessment. Coaches are not expected to diagnose.
Community without borrowed authority.
Clubs and governing bodies may be approached as prospects. No crest, co-branding or formal relationship is implied without written agreement.