2024-08-24 06:22:24
There are currently several studies or programs aimed at better understanding female physiology in order to adapt to the preparation of high-level athletes. But it’s a nascent beginning.
Published on 08/24/2024 08:22
Reading time: 3 minutes A greater understanding of women’s peculiarities should improve the performance of high-level female athletes. (Richard Villalon/MAXPPP)
Do the Paralympic champions who still make us dream about training as optimally as their male colleagues? With Géraldine Zamansky Journalist Géraldine Zamansky has some thoughts on this issue that are too little considered. health magazine France No. 5.
franceinfo: Female athletes point to a lack of accommodations for their particularities this summer, often due to a lack of understanding of the effects of the menstrual cycle, for example?
Geraldine Zamanski : Yes, developing research into menstrual cycle symptoms is a priority raised by 40 Great American Athletes. This follows in-depth discussions with expert doctors and their Olympic and Paralympic committees, the results of which are published in leading journals beijing sports. These athletes are calling for research into the impact of hormonal changes on training and performance. Because knowledge in this area is still very limited, as is their entire physiology. The survey’s initial observations are daunting: of all scientific articles devoted to sports performance, only 6% were exclusively interested in female champions. As Julie McCleary of the University of Washington explains, these people are consistently underrepresented in mixed studies.
Are these athletes currently lacking information and support?
Yes, some people do not even know that the length of the menstrual cycle must be stable, and most importantly, the interruption of menstruation is worrying. They often begin participating in high-level sports at the onset of adolescence. Julie McCleary also recalled the taboo that persists on the topic. That’s what she and her colleagues are trying to change with this survey designed to stimulate research. It’s also about disseminating as much of the little knowledge that exists as possible, whether to the athletes, coaches, physiotherapists or doctors surrounding the champion. Remember, this summer, 200m bronze medalist Brittany Brown dedicated her victory to women with endometriosis: Despite her constant pleas for “help,” she It took me 10 years of suffering before I was diagnosed.
How does France support its championship team?
This progress is slow, e.g. empowerera project led by INSEP researcher Juliana Antero. For several months, his team tracked about a hundred high-level athletes, recording their performance, hormonal changes and multiple other parameters. First conclusion: Certain phases of the cycle allow for increased intensity training, while other phases do the opposite and require greater recovery. Therefore, Juliana Antero insists that it is a whole, more adaptable, in order to improve performance without forgetting, physical and mental health is improved due to fewer “powerful passages”. We remember the spark this summer from gymnast Simone Biles, who was one of the first to raise these questions in Tokyo.
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