In this episode Jess speaks with researcher and SENr registered nutritionist Samantha Abbott. Sam has a wealth of knowledge around female athletes, the menstrual cycle and gut health/symptoms. She has also worked with athletes on an individual basis at varying levels so is able to provide advice from both her academic knowledge and applied practice.

Gut health has received a lot of attention in the media lately and a lot can be a little confusing. This episode should provide clarity on why the female sex hormones have a role in the gut and how we can support athletes to manage their gut symptoms to improve their performance.

In this episode Georgie and Jess are joined by Olympian Adelle Tracey who shares her experiences of getting into the sport, her understanding of the menstrual cycle and how she uses this now to inform her training.

Adelle is a great example of how tracking and an increased understanding of your menstrual cycle can enhance training and performance.

In this episode Georgie and Jess revisit some of the tips around tracking your menstrual cycle and why it can help female athletes utilise their super power!

Although this topic has been covered before there are still many questions on the do's and don'ts, so hopefully this episode provides a means to get started!

We live in a world where we can measure almost everything about ourselves. Heart rate, sleep scores, stress scores, training loads, heart rate variability the list is ultimately endless!

On one hand this demonstrates substantial improvements in technology, but on the other side this can be quite overwhelming and sometimes might result in missing training/exercise when we don't necessarily need to.

Georgie and Jess take a deep dive into what this data means and how you can manage it sensibly, giving some real world examples from athlete populations we have worked with.

As always any questions reach out to us on our instagram @femaleathletepod

Thanks for listening!

After a long stint away from the podcast The female athlete podcast is finally back!

This episode unpicks all the reasons why we should and need to acknowledge sex differences within both sport and research. 

Dr Georgie Bruinvels and Dr Jessica Piasecki delve into some of the reasons why males and female are physiologically different and how we can utilise these differences in a positive way. 

Sex differences of course occur within the science but this actually may be visible in other aspects of our lives that are not quite as noticeable!

It's a busy one! In our final episode of Series 5, we answer two questions around the mirena coil, discuss how to deal with the impact of puberty on performance, why it's important to listen to your body when training through pregnancy and we give our book recommendations as we head into the autumn months!

Thank you again for providing us with some interesting topic points. Keep your questions coming! Visit the link in our Instagram to submit a question.

Books:
Choosing to Run: A Memoir, Des Linden
The Female Factor, Dr Hazel Wallace
The Wild Card, Judy Murray
Lioness My Journey To Glory, Beth Mead
Good For A Girl, Lauren Fleshman

Previous FAP episodes:
Sophie Power Female Athlete Podcast episode, S2, E13
Jo Pavey Female Athlete Podcast episode, S2, E4 

*Disclaimer: Materials and content in the Female Athlete Podcast are intended as general information only and should not be substituted for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment

In this episode we are joined by Sue Anstiss MBE and Dr Ali Bowes to talk about the recent Netflix documentary 'Game On- The Unstoppable Rise of Women's Sport'.

Sue was the presenter and producer of the documentary which highlights some of the issues historically faced by women in sport and the knock on effects still impacting women and girls today.

We discuss barriers placed in the way of women taking part in sport such as the female frailty myth, inappropriate clothes women have traditionally been made to wear when participating or competing, plus how we can continue the fight and help remove barriers for women and girls in a world historically dominated and controlled by men.

Watch the Game On- The Unstoppable Rise of Women's Sport trailer.
Read Sue's book Game On- The Unstoppable Rise of Women's Sport.
Join the Women's Sport Collective.

Follow Dr Ali Bowes on Twitter
Follow Sue Anstiss on Twitter

In this episode we speak to long-distance triathlete Emma Pallant-Browne. Recently Emma raced whilst on her period and bled through to her race suit...and it made the news.

When a Twitter user called out a picture taken of Emma during the race to be cropped so the blood wouldn’t show, Emma responded in such an empowering and honest way (check out her most recent post on Instagram) and the text below.

Emma wrote in response to the tweet: "Thanks for caring but definitely something I’m not shy to talk about because it’s the reality of females in sport. My period comes over a month in between and there will be one day where it is super heavy.

"I pray it won’t be race day but every now and then it is. No matter what tampon I have experimented with, for anything over three hours it’s too heavy. So just as someone might get gut issues in a race I have to suck it up and give what I have and not be afraid to talk to women who have the same problem.”

We chat to Emma about the incident, the response she received on social media after her post and why she wants to continue to break down barriers for female athletes in this area.

And if, like Lucy, you were wondering... here is a what a menstrual disc is! 

*Disclaimer: Materials and content in the Female Athlete Podcast are intended as general information only and should not be substituted for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment

In this episode we cover breast injuries and breast pain, including how common it is, why breast injuries in particular go under-reported, plus what you can do to help, such as wearing a correct sports bra and tracking breast pain throughout your cycle.

We also cover how to stay motivated during periods of injury and why doing research in females is so hard, and the areas which need more attention (all!)

Thank you again for providing us with some interesting topic points. Keep your questions coming! Visit the link in our Instagram to submit a question.

Recommended sports bras:
For contact sports- Boob Armour / Shock Absorber
For running (& Jess' recommendation)- Puma
For growing bodies- Limitless

Telegraph article: Why breast injuries are slipping under the radar in sport

*Disclaimer: Materials and content in the Female Athlete Podcast are intended as general information only and should not be substituted for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment

In this episode we discuss the relevance of International Women's Day (this episode was recorded on 15th March), and we answer listeners questions around osteoporosis, osteopenia, and ask can the pill mask a menstrual dysfunction such as amenorrhea?

The team also give strategies and tips around how to help get your period back when coming off the pill.

Plus, we discuss the various menstrual cycle technologies and apps, including period relief device Myoovie.

Thank you again for providing us with some interesting topic points. Keep your questions coming! Visit the link in our Instagram to submit a question.

*Disclaimer: Materials and content in the Female Athlete Podcast are intended as general information only and should not be substituted for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment