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Let’s be real: periods aren't always easy.
Have you ever been lacing up, bent over, cramping, feeling like there is a balloon in your belly, and wondering how you’ll get through practice? Or that moment you stand up and realize that you need to make a run for the bathroom because your tampon leaked. Hopefully, when you looked down, you remembered to wear black pants. Crisis barely averted. Now it’s time to act like nothing happened, even though it feels like a murder scene in your pants. Thank goodness you had a tampon and didn’t need the classic toilet paper wad backup plan.
When I was younger, I used to get embarrassed and sometimes ashamed of my period. I never asked for one in the first place.
Now that I am older, I find myself going back to heal those memories. If I could go tell little me anything, it would be this: “Your period is not something to be embarrassed or ashamed about, and it definitely is not a weakness. It reminds you that your baseline is already badass, moving towards boss bitch, and that is your greatest strength”. I mean, I hope we have all seen or heard about the videos where men wear a cramp simulator…. And we feel that monthly. Boss!
As an athlete, preparedness is important. Here are three things I would recommend to all athletes for menstrual care and support:
1. Movement May Help Relieve Menstrual Symptoms
Did you know that playing sports and movement and breathwork exercises may help relieve menstrual symptoms? Recent studies suggest that some athletes who play sports on their menstrual cycle perform at a high level. Talk about Girl Power.
I am grateful that today, more and more girls, women, and athletes are speaking up and learning about how our bodies move, recover, and perform through every phase of our cycle and hormones. I am grateful to no longer think my period is something to hide, when really my body is doing exactly what it is supposed to do. But here’s what I wish I knew sooner: your period isn’t something to overcome. It’s something to understand and use to your advantage.
2. Reusable Menstrual Care is a Game Changer
For years, I used tampons, and for years I hated having to go pee. That little string getting wet, causing your underwear to stay wet until the next time you changed the tampon was awful. Today, The DIVA Disc allows me to participate in long practice and games without discomfort, odors, leakage, or that damn wet string. Now, for all my sceptics out there, I hear you. Unlike other menstrual discs, the DIVA Disc is made of medical grade silicone, is moldable and folds better, which was one of my complaints using other reusable products.
Much like any other new gear, some time is needed to get accustomed to using The DIVA Disc. And let's be real, use the bathroom before a long game, especially on the first few days of your period. The DIVA Disc has changed the game. If you have a heavier flow, be realistic about how long you can wear your disc before needing to empty it. Again, know your body. You got this. She is beautiful!
3. Ritual in Sport and Cycles
Every athlete has their rituals. Pregame, during, and post-game routines. Understanding your cycle should be a part of these routines. I have a friend who you can find in the field holding a container of raw spinach, just mowing down. She knows that spinach is rich in iron, and magnesium, which can help ease cramping and bloating during your period.
Truth: We have just started studying women’s bodies in sports.
For decades, most training programs and nutrition research, and recovery data were built around men’s physiology, not women’s. So, every time we talk about our periods or demand better science, we help rewrite the playbook. It’s not that women’s bodies are mysterious--it’s that we have been ignored. We are done with that now.
So, to every young athlete: keep asking questions. Keep learning about your body. Keep demanding better. Because strength is not just physical. It’s courage to know yourself, speak up, and change the game.
That starts with us.
Thank you to DIVA and all the folks out there studying our bodies. My vagina thanks you.
– with love, Leslie Robinson
