How period tracking could boost performance of female Olympians

A woman using a period tracking app. Photo: Isabel Infantes/REUTERS<br />

French swimmer Caroline Jouisse has been keeping track of her periods using her phone over the last year, collecting information for her coaches ahead of competing in the Paris Olympics this summer.

The data helps her plan the best time to work on building her muscles, which is ideally in the middle and at the end of her menstrual cycle when her testosterone levels are at their highest.

“It’s important to know when my testosterone peaks are, because that is when you feel your best and will be at your strongest in training,” said the 29-year-old, who will compete in the 10-kilometre open water event at the Paris Games.

Research in sport focuses overwhelmingly on male athletes, and the effect menstrual cycles have on athletic performance remains under-studied.

Hoping to address this gap, France’s National Institute of Sport (INSEP) launched a program called Empow’her in 2020 to track and learn from the menstrual cycles of athletes.

“There is no need to be embarrassed about your cycle — it is part of performance, just like nutrition or training,” said INSEP gynecologist Carole Maitre.

– Lack of research –
For six months last year, Jouisse’s training sessions were analysed daily. Her hormonal, cardiac and psychological data was then compared to the different stages of her menstrual cycle.

“Before starting the program, I was not aware that there were all these phases,” said Jouisse, who is currently doing 10 swimming and three weight training sessions every week.

French cross-country skier Juliette Ducordeau said the Empow’her program helped her understand her body better, as well as identify “quite impressive trends” in her performance.

“The optimal times for my