Period anxiety: women and girls skipping sports

More than two-thirds of women and girls have avoided playing sports during their period, a national survey found.

Transcript

00:00Many girls and women are missing out on playing sports due to period anxiety.

00:06If having a period was a reason that you are being held back that would just like

00:10break my heart because sport is such a massive part of my life and it's given

00:14me so much so I would hate for a young girl to really miss out on what it can give you.

00:19A national survey by charity group Share the Dignity found more than

00:24two-thirds of people have avoided playing sports during their period.

00:3076.5% skipped sports due to a fear of leaking and staining their clothes.

00:36Meanwhile, period pain, low iron levels and changing moods were among some other

00:42reasons to avoid playing sports.

00:45Some survey respondents also said they did not play sports at the time of their

00:50period because they couldn't afford period products.

00:55From school kids to elite athletes, there has been a global push to get rid of

01:00all white sports uniforms.

01:03I went on the pill to stop myself bleeding because I knew we had to wear

01:08white undershorts and I didn't want to face any embarrassment with that.

01:13Since 2023, the Matildas uniform was made to include anti-leak technology

01:19within their shorts to combat period anxiety.