Nineteen-year-old Teagan Zurawel vividly recalls the challenges of managing her menstrual cycle while participating in Little Athletics. During competitions at her local Geelong center, she often found herself in a long queue of girls waiting for the only toilet equipped with a sanitary bin among a block of ten. Local competitions lacked a structured timetable, meaning athletes could be called to compete at any moment.
“You’d have to wait a while to get into that toilet,” Zurawel explains. “I started to worry I wouldn’t be able to change in time for my next event because you’d have to keep an ear out for if your age group gets called while you’re in the bathroom. I had to go back and forth and just try and time it right.”
This concern is echoed by over 61 percent of girls surveyed in a Federation University study, which found that one in five girls aged 10 to 16 considered quitting sports due to period-related issues. Out of 464 Australian girls surveyed from swimming and athletics, 63 percent reported missing training sessions, and one in three sat out competition events. Many cited inadequate access to hygienic facilities and period protection as significant barriers.
Decline in Sports Participation Among Girls
The study’s lead author, Jane Strachan, highlights the troubling decline in girls’ participation in sports as they reach adolescence. The average age for a girl to experience her first period is around 12, and data shows a stark drop in sports participation from 83 percent at age nine to just 23 percent by age 15.
“Absolutely, I think there’s a link,” Strachan said. “[One in five] is a big enough number to warrant us looking seriously at this. It’s absolutely concerning because it’s about population health. If adolescents stay in sport and remain physically active during those adolescent years, they’re much more likely to stay engaged with physical activity into adulthood, and reap those health benefits.”
Barriers Beyond Facilities
The survey also revealed that around 90 percent of girls experienced disruptive symptoms such as fatigue, mood changes, and pain, while a similar number worried about leaking through their uniforms. Semra Olowoniyi, a 20-year-old swimmer, shared her struggles with heavy periods and painful cramps at age 14, which often kept her out of school and swimming sessions.
“Obviously, as a 14-year-old it was so embarrassing being around other people when that happened,” Olowoniyi recalls. Swimmers face additional challenges as race suits can take 30 to 45 minutes to change, complicating timely period protection changes.
Efforts to Support Female Athletes
Clare Burton, General Manager at Swimming Victoria, emphasizes the need for sports organizations to address these challenges. “If 63 percent of our girls aren’t turning up to training, they’re missing out on everything good that comes along with community sport,” she said. “They’re missing out on forming friendships that you can get for life. From a competition point of view, it has an impact on our high-performance pathways.”
Concrete Actions and Cultural Shifts
Burton points to several initiatives already underway, such as providing free tampons and pads at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre and introducing an inclusive swimwear policy that allows girls to wear two-piece suits, making it easier to manage menstruation. Swimming Australia is also revising its coaching framework to educate entry-level coaches on how to discuss menstrual cycles with young athletes.
Little Athletics CEO Anthony McIntosh adds that the sport is advocating for better changing conditions and equipment at individual clubs, and has moved away from requiring white shorts to alleviate fears of leaking.
“I wish it was easier for young girls to talk about their periods,” Burton said. “Being able to have the confidence to say, I’ve got my period today, and it not be a disaster.”
Breaking the Period Taboo
Strachan agrees that dismantling the stigma surrounding periods is crucial. She notes that menstrual education often segregates boys and girls, reinforcing the notion that menstruation is solely a ‘woman’s issue.’ Without adequate education, coaches may misinterpret girls’ absences from training as laziness or poor motivation, potentially affecting team selections.
“Everyone needs different levels of education and it’s working out how we can support everyone to come on this journey,” Strachan says. Both Olowoniyi and Zurawel agree that better education for coaches and male peers is essential.
Olowoniyi often worried about boys witnessing her bleed into the water. “You don’t really want to talk about it and you don’t want them to see the pool of blood,” she says. Zurawel, meanwhile, appreciates the support of her female coach, who is prepared with sanitary products and snacks.
“[My advice would be] don’t try and make it awkward by making small talk, just get straight to the point, and have a spare pack of sanitary products in your bag just in case,” Zurawel advises.
As sports organizations and educational institutions work towards more inclusive environments, the hope is that more girls will feel empowered to continue participating in sports, reaping the lifelong benefits of physical activity and community engagement.
