Lessons Learned From a No-Cost Menstrual Cycle Symptom Tracking Intervention in Field Hockey: A Mixed-Methods Study

Longitudinal tracking of menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive-related symptoms is often advised for female athletes, and the practitioners and the coaches who support them. Despite this, the athletes’ and coaches’ opinions on how best to collect and utilize these data are unknown, and likely dependent on the infrastructure and availability, readiness, and capability of support staff. This mixed-methods study (quantitative questionnaire and qualitative interview data) assessed the feasibility of a no-cost symptom monitoring intervention in an elite, nonprofessional field hockey team using semistructured interviews to understand both the athletes’ and coaches’ experiences of the intervention. Quantitative data demonstrated substantial within- and between-subject variability in menstrual cycle-related symptoms, with adherence and compliance statistics underlining the challenges of obtaining this data. The key themes evident in the interview data related to symptom variability, the feasibility and preferences of the intervention methodology, as well as ethical concerns regarding data access, and how symptom monitoring fits into the decision-making processes within the sporting organization. Important implications for this study’s elite, nonprofessional environment highlight that menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive symptom monitoring must be employed carefully with consideration to the athletes’ preferences, to maximize adherence and effectiveness of the methodology.