Your Body

Sanders doesn't have time for the pain. Ken Levine/ALLSPORT

By Alyssa L. Shaffer

Summer Sanders can remember the nights back in high school when she and her teammates would get together to murmur fervent incantations to the divine powers that be. They weren't asking for anything sinister like a debilitating injury to befall an opponent. Rather, the two-time gold-medal-winning Olympic swimmer and her friends were praying for the postponement of a seemingly benign occurrence: the arrival of their periods.

"I always ended up getting it anyway," says Sanders, "usually right before a big meet." But, she says, once she was on the starting blocks, she'd block it out. "So much of the race is mental that you can't let a thing like that affect you."

Coping, and competing, with the Curse is a universal dilemma for female athletes. There's pressure enough worrying about playing well. Add the cramps, nausea and fatigue that can accompany a period—plus the emotional turbulence—and it's no wonder many women athletes long for a reprieve when that time of month approaches.

But your period needn't affect your performance. "Women compete successfully at all phases of their menstrual cycle," says Dr. Carol L. Otis, chief medical advisor for the Women's Tennis Association. "They've set world records and won major tournaments. An active woman needs to learn how to manage her period so it doesn't manage her."

If you are a regular participant in sports, you're already ahead. Numerous studies have shown that exercise alleviates the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, or PMS—a series of changes in your body and mood (you're blue, you're bloated, you want a chocolate-chip cookie and you want it now) that normally disappear once bleeding begins. "Part of managing PMS is reducing stress," says Dr. Michelle Harrison, author of Self-Help for Premenstrual Syndrome, 3rd Edition (Random House, 1999). "Exercise provides an outlet for stress relief, and it triggers the release of 'feel good' chemicals known as endorphins."

But working out can't guarantee you'll avoid PMS or dysmenorrhea—the stomach-clenching cramps and heavy bleeding that sometimes accompany a period. Even world-class athletes occasionally pass through menstrual hell, as Anne Marie Lauck, a top U.S. distance runner, can attest. "On days leading up to my period, my energy level hits rock bottom," says Lauck. "Sometimes I feel like I'm playing Russian roulette, wondering if it's going to fall on the day of a race for which I've been training for months."

While there is no marvelous remedy for all menstrual ailments, you can kill off cramps before they begin. "Cramps are caused by contractions of the uterine muscle, which are triggered by chemicals called prostaglandins," Otis says. "The trick is to stop these prostaglandins from being produced in the first place."

Your best bets are ibuprofen (like Motrin or Advil), or naproxen (like Aleve). Otis recommends taking a relatively high first dose four to 36 hours before bleeding begins, followed by maintenance doses every six to 12 hours. If you're taking ibuprofen, for example, that means a dose of 600 to 800 milligrams, with follow-ups of 400 to 600 milligrams every six hours.

Since the uterus is mostly muscle, muscle-relaxing aids such as heating pads or hot-water bottles as well as soothing exercises like yoga can ease cramps. Some doctors even suggest acupressure.

Adjusting what you eat and drink may also help. Eating sweets can cause a brief rise in blood-sugar levels followed by a sudden drop, which may worsen period-induced fatigue, depression or anxiety. Many women find that caffeine or alcohol also intensifies these symptoms. Harrison advises opting for complex carbohydrates (such as whole grains and vegetables), lean protein (like chicken) or low-fat foods.

"I think the most difficult thing for women to deal with is a lack of confidence and self-esteem that comes with PMS," says Harrison. And since confidence can be all that stands between an athlete and the victory podium, no one welcomes an attitude disruption, however temporary. To combat this, says Harrison, "it's important to remember that there is absolutely no evidence that your period affects your performance."

Carrie Sheinberg, a member of the U.S. Olympic ski team from 1990 to 1998, would struggle with negative thoughts the day her period came, particularly if she had to race. "I had to remember that it wasn't me talking, and I forced myself to think positive thoughts," she says. To help, Sheinberg would write her goals on a slip of paper before the race and put it in her pocket. "That way, when I was out of the starting gate, my period was the furthest thing from my mind," she says.

Tammi Reiss, guard for the WNBA's Utah Starzz, set a New York State high school scoring record while suffering with bad cramps. "I was so focused on not letting this affect me that I got into a zone and played through it," says Reiss.

That's the attitude many athletes have found most helpful. "It would be a huge bummer to train six months for a really big event, then let something like getting your period affect your performance," says Sanders. "You can still do your best if you have confidence in yourself."

 
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