Thirteen Swedish cross-country skiers at national and international level participated in the study, as did eight of their coaches.

The study shows that the lack of knowledge is great when it comes to women athletes' health and menstruation.

- The lack of knowledge means that active girls do not receive help, if you have menstrual problems, for example.

If the coaches do not talk about it, an important performance factor can be missed, explains Martina Höök, who is a doctoral student at Mid Sweden University.

For many, it is a sensitive issue to raise, both among active people and among coaches, but now Martina Höök wants to change that.

With the study as a basis and with the help of young people from Åre ski high school, she wants to create an education and a platform to increase knowledge.

The goal is sustainable health for elite athletes.

- If you have shortcomings already as a junior, it does not matter how much super help you have when you are older, you will still have ill health and it may shorten your long-distance skiing career.

The article is published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

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Health issues are discussed too rarely