- 'Like a quake': Beirut shaken after deadliest strikes on centre
- Fallen giants Ghana in AFCON trouble after Sudan draw
- Asian leaders meet in Laos with US, Russia on world turmoil
- England gamble backfires as Pavlidis fires emotional Greece to victory
- Obama stumps for Harris, Trump talks US protectionism
- New-look France ease past Israel in Nations League
- Belgium fight back to draw with 10-man Italy in Nations League
- 'Get a life': Hurricane whips up US election storm
- Japan stay perfect in World Cup qualifying
- Relief as Lebanon evacuees dock in Turkey
- Lebanon says 22 dead in Israeli strikes on central Beirut
- NBA boss Silver sees games back in China 'at some point'
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
- Table tennis and Netflix push Ukraine teen into French Open contention
- Civilians flee Gaza's Jabalia in tightening Israeli siege
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 18
- At least 10 dead in Florida from tornadoes caused by Hurricane Milton
- Warhol's rare 'Queen' collection opens at Dutch museum
- Three-time NBA champion Green retires
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- S.Sudan floods affect 893,000, over 241,000 displaced: UN
- Solar storm could impact US hurricane recovery efforts: agency
- Windies sweat on injury to 'crucial' Taylor at World Cup
- Lebanon says 11 dead, 48 injured in Israeli strikes on Beirut
- Panama lashes out at EU over tax haven 'outrage'
- Erdogan says Gaza 'shame of humanity', calls for permanent ceasfire
- TD Bank to pay more than $3 bn to US in money-laundering case
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- 'Good opportunity': Nagelsmann upbeat despite Germany's long injury list
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- Chad's capital under threat as floodwaters rise
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit central Beirut
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- Ramharack picks four wickets as Windies beat Bangladesh in Women's T20 World Cup
- France's City of Light switches to climate-resilient power cables
- Djokovic hails Nadal 'legacy' as Alcaraz in 'shock' over retirement
- Obama hits campaign trail for Harris
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- Djokovic tells Nadal: 'Your legacy will live forever'
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- UN peacekeepers say Israel fired on Lebanon HQ, injuring 2
- UK's William and Kate in first joint public engagement since cancer treatment
- Alcaraz out as top players pay tribute to Nadal at Shanghai Masters
- Racing's Farrell 'not thinking' about British and Irish Lions
How period tracking could boost performance of female Olympians
French swimmer Caroline Jouisse has been keeping track of her periods using her phone over the last year, collecting information for her coaches ahead of competing in the Paris Olympics this summer.
The data helps her plan the best time to work on building her muscles, which is ideally in the middle and at the end of her menstrual cycle when her testosterone levels are at their highest.
"It's important to know when my testosterone peaks are, because that is when you feel your best and will be at your strongest in training," said the 29-year-old, who will compete in the 10-kilometre open water event at the Paris Games.
Research in sport focuses overwhelmingly on male athletes, and the effect menstrual cycles have on athletic performance remains under-studied.
Hoping to address this gap, France's National Institute of Sport (INSEP) launched a program called Empow'her in 2020 to track and learn from the menstrual cycles of athletes.
"There is no need to be embarrassed about your cycle -- it is part of performance, just like nutrition or training," said INSEP gynecologist Carole Maitre.
- Lack of research -
For six months last year, Jouisse's training sessions were analysed daily. Her hormonal, cardiac and psychological data was then compared to the different stages of her menstrual cycle.
"Before starting the program, I was not aware that there were all these phases," said Jouisse, who is currently doing 10 swimming and three weight training sessions every week.
French cross-country skier Juliette Ducordeau said the Empow'her program helped her understand her body better, as well as identify "quite impressive trends" in her performance.
"The optimal times for my training sessions are during the ovulation phase, from the first to the 15th day of the cycle," the 25-year-old said.
The last few days were more laborious, she added.
Since launching in 2020, 130 French sportswomen have participated in Empow'her, which hopes to help fill in significant gaps in scientific research about the female body.
The head of the program, Juliana Antero, said that just nine percent of sports science studies published in the last five years were about women -- compared to 71 percent for men.
"There are very few high-quality studies, so for the moment there is no consensus on the impact menstrual cycles have on sports performance," Antero said.
While the symptoms -- such as headaches and pain -- were relatively similar, how intense they were and how long they lasted can vary significantly between different athletes, she said.
A 2021 UK study conducted on elite female footballers found that around 90 percent suffered from fatigue and loss of power during menstruation.
Two thirds said their confidence and focus were affected, while 13 percent missed training or matches, according to the study led by researchers at Queen Mary University of London.
Period tracking hit the headlines in 2019, when the United States women's football team credited it with helping players train for their victorious World Cup campaign.
- Male coaches 'embarrassed' -
But change has been slow.
Alpine skier Clara Direz, a former Empow'her participant, said that her mostly male coaches are still "embarrassed to talk about menstrual cycles -- and don't show much interest".
"It is important to raise awareness among athletes -- but first and most importantly we need to raise awareness among coaches," Jouisse, the swimmer, said.
Talking about periods remains "taboo" in her sport, she added.
But ahead of the Paris Olympics starting in July, more attention is turning towards the subject.
France's cycling federation recently took part in a study which demonstrated that cyclists perform better on average in the middle of their menstrual cycle.
"Before there was discomfort, and athletes had to ask for help," Maitre said.
"Now, we're working on them getting systematic support."
O.Karlsson--AMWN