How the menstrual cycle affects exercise is still a fairly unexplored topic.

The menses and the swings in the bike have long been seen as something private, which you take care of yourself.

In recent years, however, research has emerged on the subject as well as organizations that want to map their athletes regarding menstruation.

Major football organizations, such as Chelsea's club teams and the US national team, use an app where players enter when they get their period and related symptoms so that in the long run you can adapt the training schedule and thus hopefully achieve better results and reduce the risk of injury.

"The beginning of things"

In Sweden, it has been relatively quiet on the subject, but in the biathlon national team, people are now starting to think about it anyway.

And talk about it.

This winter, the first step towards a survey is expected to be taken.

- Actually, we are in our beginning on that idea and in the beginning of, above all, learning more.

But there is a beginning of things and it feels great, says the new sports director Anna Maria Uusitalo.

- We have thought that we should get it in the active exercise diary, whether they have menstruation or not, so that you can follow it.

It can be a first step for the active.

This has to happen in several steps and I think we may have to take responsibility for helping the research, we will need to be a part of it.

The initiative is welcomed by the national team riders.

- Yes, absolutely, says World Cup and Olympic gold medalist Hanna Öberg.

- I think it feels like something where sports is actually far behind for women.

It is one of the biggest physiological differences with the guys and absolutely something I think you should work on more.

Mona Brorsson is also positive:

- It's very important.

It is a scandal that you do not even know yourself how you are affected.

It is something that happens to half the population and you still have so little knowledge about it.

Good conversational climate

Brorsson says that the conversational climate between the riders is still open and that you can easily tell how you feel.

- But the hormones go up and down and it is super interesting if you can map a little more - how does it affect my training?

Not only walking around and thinking and guessing on your own, but getting certain things in black and white would have made it easier, according to Brorsson.

And she is hopeful that an individual survey can lead to more effective training.

- Then it is difficult to plan the training exactly according to your bike, because we have to train so much, and all sessions must be entered in some way.

But just strength training, there is starting to be some research and it is quite easy to adapt, I think.

TT: How does it feel that we are standing here in 2020 and talking about the fact that we barely know how we are affected by menstruation?

-As I said, can you say scandal?

You have grown up with the fact that it is embarrassing to talk about and that you then just had to think "no, we can probably just let it go".

TT: How much do you think it matters that you have a woman as sports director?

- I think that comes into play, both that she is also a woman and also that she has been an elite athlete.

If you compare with Wolfgang (Pichler), he still understood this and often said that "it could be the hormones".

But he did not want to go deeper into it.

This may be the new thing, that you also keep a diary of emotions and states of mind.

"We are ready"

Anna Maria Uusitalo was herself a national team skier 2000–2012.

- There was no talk about it then and I hope we go in the right direction in any case.

Above all, also in terms of research, that we get in the race, says Uusitalo.

TT: Do you remember how you were affected differently during different parts of the cycle?

- I do not think I am affected that much.

But on the other hand, you never did any kind of test or check on it either, so it's probably hard to know.

CLIP: SVT meets Stina Nilsson and Hanna Öberg (October 4, 2020)

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SVT meets Stina Nilsson and Hanna Öberg