Session 4 of the Tata Steel Trailblazers sports conclave conducted by RevSportz was a fascinating one. The subject was: Menarche to Menopause. It’s a serious issue faced byfemale athletes. They don’t usually speak about it. They go through it and keep performing.
Sharmistha Gooptu of RevSportz was the moderator of the event. In attendance were Olympic medal winners MirabaiChanu and Lovlina Borgohain. Joining them were Dr Swati Mishra, Bhavna Singh, the vice-president of BSV, and Meenu Agarwal, the founder of Food and Wellness.
Periods are a critical matter to address for women athletes. They go through these tough phases and go on to perform. Lately only, sports followers have started realising this. Sharmistha asked the athletes how the cycle affectsperformance.
“Body breaks down during that period,” said Lovlina, the 2021 Olympic bronze medallist in boxing. “We have to maintain ourselves. The stomach aches. The whole body aches. You have to go through the ordeal even then. There is stress. You have to be mentally strong. Of late, I have benefited from practising yoga. It has impacted my life. I recommend this to everyone.”
Mirabai, the Olympic silver medallist in weightlifting in 2021, said she suffered because of this even during the biggest of competitions. “In Tokyo, I was going through the second dayof it. I had to confide in my coach. The body was cramped. There was pain. But you have to live through it and fight.”
Bhavna was the next speaker. “Women don’t take care of their own health,” she said. “We neglect our health. It’s a behavioural issue. We don’t go to the doctors. As part of a women’s health company, I feel it’s important to have these conversations. In our company, we give menstrual leave.”
Dr Swati said that the education level of this is increasing. “People are talking about it. There is still a taboo about it. We are still to come to terms with it fully. But our role is to make people understand that this is a natural process. The awareness is increasing.”
Meenu was equally forthcoming with her views. “It’s a taboo even in metro cities, not just villages,” she said. “We don’t speak about it even with our fathers, brothers or any male member of the family. An athlete’s body goes through a lot. Stress affects hormonal balance. We need to train the athletesabout this and how to deal with it.”