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The effect of the menstrual cycle phase on athletic performance has recently become a topic of great interest but a systematic review on the effects of menstrual cycle phase on athletic performance has yet to be conducted. This systematic review aims to summarise the literature to determine how athletic performance may be affected by menstrual cycle phase in female athletes and active females.

Refereed/Peer-reviewed The influence of a ‘group’ is often posited as a key factor that influences behavior. This is relevant in sports, where the presence of norms develops through interactions with important others. As such, an athlete’s perception of what is normative may have a significant role in how that athlete thinks and behaves. The present study undertakes a scoping review of research on norms in sports, specifically to describe the extent, scope and range of research conducted to date. Six online databases were searched to identify research published up to January 2021, from which 124 met inclusion criteria. To be included, articles were published peer-reviewed articles, written in English and evaluated norms within an athlete sample. The results suggest that the use of theoretical frameworks and conceptualizations of norms varied considerably and were used inconsistently. Most studies included in this review used a cross-sectional research design, were conducted within North America, and focused on adult athlete populations. This study identified that the concept of ‘norms’ has been examined extensively in sport, with an opportunity to explore norms in a wider range of samples and with advanced research methodologies to progress our understanding of norms in sport.

Refereed/Peer-reviewed The effect of the menstrual cycle on athlete performance, wellbeing and perceived exertion and fatigue is not well understood. Furthermore, it has not been investigated specifically in Australian Football athletes. This pilot study aimed to explore how naturally menstruating Australian Football athletes may be affected by menstrual cycle phase. The data collected from the routine monitoring of five naturally menstruating athletes (average menstrual cycle length of 28 ± 3 [SD] days) in one team (athlete age range 18–35 years) competing in the Women’s Australian Football League during the 2019 season were retrospectively analysed to compare performance (countermovement jump parameters and adductor squeeze pressure), perceived exertion, perceived fatigue and wellbeing (perceived sleep quality, stress and soreness) outcomes between the follicular and luteal phases. Performance, perceived exertion, stress and soreness did not appear to be affected by menstrual cycle phase (p > 0.17). However, perceived fatigue appeared to be significantly greater (p = 0.042) and sleep quality worse (p = 0.005) in the luteal phase. This pilot study suggests further research focusing on the effect of menstrual cycle phase on subjective fatigue and wellbeing is warranted.

The effect of the menstrual cycle on physical performance is being increasingly recognised as a key consideration for women's sport and a critical field for further research. This narrative review explores the findings of studies investigating the effects of menstrual cycle phase on perceived and objectively measured performance in an athletic population. Studies examining perceived performance consistently report that female athletes identify their performance to be relatively worse during the early follicular and late luteal phases. Studies examining objective performance (using anaerobic, aerobic or strength-related tests) do not report clear, consistent effects of the impact of menstrual cycle phase on physical performance. Overall sport performance can be influenced by both perceived and physical factors. Hence, to optimise performance and management of eumenorrheic female athletes, there is a need for further research to quantify the impact of menstrual cycle phase on perceived and physical performance outcomes and to identify factors affecting variability in objective performance outcomes between studies. Refereed/Peer-reviewed