By Zhané Slambee
Published September 9, 2026
Main Facts
Every female athlete knows the unpredictable rhythm of her own body. A weight that felt effortless to lift last week suddenly feels impossible; an endurance run that usually clears the mind leaves the limbs feeling leaden and exhausted. For decades, these fluctuations have been brushed aside as anomalies, poor sleep, or a lack of motivation. Today, a growing body of sports science points directly to the infradian rhythm—the menstrual cycle—as a major driver of physiological changes in energy, recovery, and injury susceptibility.
Yet, a stark disconnect remains between what coaches want to do and what actually happens on the training ground. A new study published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living reveals a profound coaching gap: while 86% of coaches express a willingness to adjust training regimens if an athlete faces elevated injury risks during specific hormonal phases, only 10% actively factor the menstrual cycle into their training plans. Furthermore, nearly half (45%) of coaches do not track menstrual data at all, and a mere 2% utilize systematic cycle tracking across an entire team.
The research illuminates a modern paradox in sports performance: the appetite for progressive, hormone-informed coaching is higher than ever, but the practical tools, education, and structural frameworks required to implement it are almost entirely missing.
Chronology of the Research
To understand how this coaching gap was uncovered, it is necessary to look at the methodology and timeline of the study.
- The Impetus (2024–2025): Over the past few years, cultural and scientific conversations around female athlete health have gained serious momentum. High-profile Olympians and professional sports teams began speaking publicly about how hormonal fluctuations impact everything from anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears to marathon pacing. Recognizing a lack of empirical data on how coaches actually perceive and utilize this information, researchers in Switzerland set out to survey the field.
- The Survey Phase (Late 2025/Early 2026): Researchers polled 261 active coaches operating across Switzerland. The cohort represented a diverse cross-section of competitive levels—ranging from grassroots local clubs to elite national teams—and spanned a wide array of disciplines, including soccer, handball, swimming, rowing, skiing, and track and field.
- The Findings (September 2026): The data analysis was finalized and published, revealing that while coaches place an exceptionally high value on learning about female physiology, a structural vacuum prevents them from applying that knowledge in real-world scenarios.
Supporting Data and Statistical Insights
The survey results paint a vivid picture of good intentions colliding with systemic unpreparedness. The numbers highlight both the eagerness of coaches and the hurdles standing in their way:
- 8.5 out of 10: The average score coaches gave when asked about their personal willingness to learn more about how the menstrual cycle affects athletic performance, recovery, and injury risk.
- 7.4 out of 10: The score coaches assigned to the perceived usefulness of cycle-based training concepts.
- 86%: The proportion of surveyed coaches who stated they would willingly modify training loads if an athlete faced an elevated injury risk during a specific phase of her cycle.
- 70%: The percentage of coaches who would consider recommending that an athlete skip a competition if hormonal or physical markers pointed toward extreme vulnerability or burnout.
- 10%: The actual percentage of coaches who routinely consider the menstrual cycle when designing short- or long-term training programs.
- 45%: The percentage of coaches who do not track menstrual health data at all within their rosters.
- 2%: The percentage of coaches who track cycle information systematically at the team level.
- 68%: The share of coaches who cited a lack of personal knowledge as the primary barrier to incorporating menstrual health into their coaching.
- 53%: The percentage of coaches who noted that female physiology and menstrual health rarely, if ever, come up in formal coaching education curricula.
- 36%: The number of coaches who reported a complete lack of practical tools or resources to help them integrate cycle data into training.
Official Responses and Nuances from Sports Scientists
While the data highlights a major deficiency in coaching practices, sports scientists and researchers urge caution against swinging too far in the opposite direction. The science surrounding "cycle syncing"—the practice of tailoring workouts rigidly to specific phases of the menstrual cycle—is still evolving.
Current research shows that there is no universal blueprint proving every athlete must fundamentally alter her training based on calendar days alone. Human physiology is deeply individual. Two athletes in the exact same phase of their cycle can experience radically different energy levels, hormonal profiles, and recovery capacities.
Furthermore, sports scientists emphasize that assuming a blanket approach (e.g., forcing all female athletes to reduce intensity during menstruation) can be just as detrimental as ignoring the cycle entirely. Instead, experts suggest that coaches should focus on individual symptom tracking, open communication channels, and subjective feedback loops.
"The willingness is clearly there," note researchers behind the study. "The missing piece is not a lack of empathy or care from coaches; it is the bridge between theoretical interest and practical, evidence-based coaching decisions."
Implications for the Future of Female Athletics
The consequences of this coaching gap extend far beyond day-to-day workout adjustments. They touch on athlete retention, long-term health, and injury prevention—most notably the higher incidence of non-contact lower-limb injuries, such as ACL tears, among female athletes.
1. The Injury Prevention Blind Spot
The study revealed that only 18% of surveyed coaches utilize a structured injury-prevention program, and none of those existing programs factored in hormonal or cycle-related risk factors. Given that certain phases of the menstrual cycle—particularly the late luteal and early follicular phases, depending on the individual—can coincide with changes in joint laxity and neuromuscular control, leaving hormonal markers out of injury prevention is a glaring oversight.
2. The Educational Overhaul Needed in Coaching Certifications
If 53% of coaches report that menstrual health never comes up in their certification courses, the responsibility lies heavily on sports governing bodies, national federations, and educational institutions. Coaching curricula must be modernized. Just as coaches are taught basic biomechanics, nutrition, and periodization, understanding female physiology must become a mandatory baseline requirement rather than an elective niche.
3. Shifting from Rigid Calendars to Individual Awareness
For athletes, waiting for sports organizations to catch up can feel frustrating. However, the modern consensus offers a clear path forward. Rather than waiting for a coach to implement a team-wide tracking system, athletes can take agency by monitoring their own physiological patterns over several consecutive cycles.
Tracking metrics such as:
- Sleep quality and resting heart rate (RHR)
- Perceived rate of exertion (RPE) during standardized workouts
- Recovery times between high-intensity sessions
- Mood, energy, and localized pain or joint stiffness
…can provide invaluable data. When an athlete communicates these personalized patterns clearly to a supportive coach, it opens the door for collaborative, adaptable training adjustments.
The Bottom Line
The 2026 study delivers a clear message: female athletes hold a wealth of vital information about their own bodies, but the sports coaching ecosystem is not yet equipped to translate that data into action. Bridging the gap between the 86% who want to help and the 10% who are currently doing so will require a systemic overhaul in coaching education, institutional guidelines, and practical resource development. Until sports organizations catch up to the science, open dialogue between individual athletes and their coaches remains the most powerful tool on the field.
