Study: Menstruation No Injury Risk Increase, But Longer Recovery

A new study of elite women's football players reveals that while menstruation does not raise the likelihood of injuries, those occurring during bleeding days lead to significantly longer recovery times and greater overall impact on training and competition.

Researchers tracked 33 players from a professional Spanish team over four seasons, from 2019 to 2023, during which the squad competed in Liga F and secured two UEFA Women's Champions League titles. The investigation, which examined 852 menstrual cycles, documented 80 lower-limb injuries, with 11 happening on bleeding days. Injury rates remained consistent across phases, at about 5.46 incidents per 1,000 hours during bleeding compared to 6.6 per 1,000 hours otherwise. However, the severity differed markedly: soft tissue injuries to muscles, tendons, and ligaments during bleeding days resulted in 684 days lost per 1,000 training hours, more than three times the 206 days lost in non-bleeding periods.

The team, including lead author Eva Ferrer, a sports medicine specialist at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital and the Barça Innovation Hub in Barcelona, classified injuries using the Orchard Sports Injury Classification System. Most were...