ArticlePloS one2016
The Prevalence and Impact of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (Menorrhagia) in Elite and Non-Elite Athletes.
Article in PloS one, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
56 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 174 citations in OpenAlex.
- The effects of menstrual cycle phase on jumping performance in women's football players: a systematic review.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Pooled it
- Does Creatine Supplementation Enhance Performance in Active Females? A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Effects of the menstrual cycle on the performance of female football players. A systematic review.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Pooled it
- A systematic review of methods to measure menstrual blood loss.BMC women's health · 2018Pooled it
- Menstrual Cycle-Related Symptoms and Disorders and Their Impact on Physical, Psychosocial, and Environmental Determinants of Exercise Performance: A Scoping Review.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Article
- Monitoring Menstrual Health in Footballers: Considerations for Tracking Menstrual and Hormonal Contraceptive Cycles in the Field to Support Performance.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Menstrual Cycle and Hormonal Contraceptives in Female Athletes: Should Symptoms and Nutrition Matter More than Cycle Phase? A Narrative Review.Nutrients · 2026Review
- A scoping review on heavy menstrual bleeding and anemia: A less explored phenomenon.Journal of family medicine and primary care · 2026Review
- Female cyclists perceived effects and experiences of the menstrual cycle on training and performance.PloS one · 2026Article
- A scoping review of identifying research on menstruation and menstrual cycle among female athletes of low and low-and-middle-income countries.BMC public health · 2025Article
- A Longitudinal Assessment of the Impact of Biological Maturity and Menarche on Adolescents' Organized Sport and Physical Activity Participation.Journal of adolescence · 2025Article
- Prevalence and risk factors of heavy menstrual bleeding in Africa: a narrative review.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2025Review
- The Menstrual Cycle as a Vital Sign: a comprehensive review.F&S reviews · 2025Article
- Greater prevalence of anaemia and heavy menstrual bleeding reported in women of reproductive age in the United Kingdom compared to Australia.British journal of haematology · 2025Article
- Characteristics of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive use in elite Spanish basketball players.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Menstrual cycle or hormonal contraceptive related symptoms in elite female athletes from retrospective self-questionnaires and daily monitoring: impact on well-being and objective performance metrics.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Community screening for iron deficiency in reproductive aged women: Lessons learnt from Australia.Vox sanguinis · 2025Article
- Women's rugby for all: Toward an intersectional women's rugby research agenda.European journal of sport science · 2024Review
- The Menstrual Health Manager (MHM): A Resource to Reduce Discrepancies Between Science and Practice in Sport and Exercise.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2024Article
- Effectiveness of 8-Week Exercise Programs in Improving Menstrual Characteristics in Female Adolescents in Saudi Arabia.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
To identify the prevalence and impact of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) in exercising females where anemia may have a significant effect on training and performance a 'Female Health Questionnaire' was designed incorporating a validated diagnostic HMB series, demographics, exercise ability data, training status, anemia, iron supplementation and whether the menstrual cycle had affected training and performance. The survey was conducted in two stages; initially online, advertised via social media, and then repeated via face-to-face interviews with runners registered for the 2015 London Marathon. 789 participants responded to the online survey, and 1073 completed the survey at the marathon. HMB was reported by half of those online (54%), and by more than a third of the marathon runners (36%). Surprisingly, HMB was also prevalent amongst elite athletes (37%). Overall, 32% of exercising females reported a history of anemia, and 50% had previously supplemented with iron. Only a minority (22%) had sought medical advice. HMB is highly prevalent in exercising females, associated with self-reported anemia, increased use of iron supplementation and a perceived negative impact on performance. Further research is needed to investigate the impact of HMB, iron deficiency and anemia in exercising females.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.