Women’s sport: Why we need to talk about periods, breasts and injuries

July 25, 2025

Teams of scientists are researching the unique ways that elite sport affects the female body – how breasts alter the way you run, but the right sports bra could give you the edge; how the menstrual cycle could impact performance and what role period trackers could play; and why is there a higher risk of some injuries, and what can be done to avoid them?

It’s a far cry from the era when professional female athletes told me they were thought of simply as “mini-men.” bbc