Santos Cristiana, Lopes Mário, Brito João, Kryger Katrine Okholm, Wilke Carolina, Travassos Bruno
Department of Sport Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
Institute of Biomedicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
Front Psychol. 2025 Mar 20;16:1576752. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1576752. eCollection 2025.
The objective of this study was to investigate the perceived impact of the different phases of the menstrual cycle on football and futsal participation and identify barriers that may limit the performance and participation of Portuguese female players across competition levels.
An online survey was conducted with the following inclusion criteria: registered participation in official football or futsal Portuguese leagues, an age of 18 years or older, and perceived regular menstrual cycles. A total of 197 answers were obtained and analyzed.
The majority of participants were 18-25 years old (61%), and 59% played futsal. Top-tier league players represented 15% of respondents, mid-tier 26%, and low-tier 59%. For the majority of respondents, the first 3 days of menstruation were perceived as having the most negative impact (66%), with abdominal pain, bloating, and breast tenderness being the most common symptoms. Players also associated the menstrual phase with decreased performance (endurance and power) and self-confidence, whereas they generally felt more confident and motivated during ovulation. No significant differences were found between sports (football and futsal) or competition levels in the perceived impact on performance and participation ( > 0.05). Overall, 53% of the players reported a perceived lack of knowledge and trust in their coach and other staff members to talk openly about menstrual health. The most cited external barrier to sports participation was the fear of leaking. To address the identified challenges, five intervention levels were proposed: communication, comprehension, education, equipment, and facilities.
These findings emphasize the need for better communication, education, and structural support to reduce menstruation-related barriers.
本研究的目的是调查月经周期不同阶段对足球和五人制足球参与度的感知影响，并确定可能限制葡萄牙各级别女运动员表现和参与度的障碍。
进行了一项在线调查，纳入标准如下：在葡萄牙官方足球或五人制足球联赛中注册参赛、年龄在18岁及以上、月经周期规律。共获得197份答案并进行了分析。
大多数参与者年龄在18 - 25岁之间（61%），59%的人踢五人制足球。顶级联赛球员占受访者的15%，中级联赛占26%，低级联赛占59%。对于大多数受访者来说，月经的前三天被认为影响最负面（66%），腹痛、腹胀和乳房胀痛是最常见的症状。球员们还将月经期与表现（耐力和力量）下降以及自信心降低联系起来，而他们在排卵期通常感觉更自信、更有动力。在对表现和参与度的感知影响方面，运动项目（足球和五人制足球）或比赛级别之间未发现显著差异（P > 0.05）。总体而言，53%的球员表示感觉缺乏对教练和其他工作人员就月经健康进行坦诚交流的了解和信任。最常被提及的参与体育运动的外部障碍是担心渗漏。为应对已确定的挑战，提出了五个干预层面：沟通、理解、教育、设备和设施。
这些发现强调了需要更好的沟通、教育和结构支持，以减少与月经相关的障碍。
