Abstract
The global drive to engage more women and girls in sport has increased participation at every level, but sport carries an inherent risk of injury. Gender differences are apparent in sports-related injury profiles. Women tend to have a higher incidence of knee injuries, particularly to the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), foot/ankle injuries, bone stress injuries (BSI) and concussions (Hardaker et al., 2024). They also experience greater symptom severity and longer recovery times following concussion. Women encounter different risk factors for injury, including a lack of research, divergent changes during puberty, combined with a gendered environment (Coen et al., 2024), later entry into sport and delayed strength development. Research is also increasingly exploring how the menstrual cycle may influence injury outcomes, particularly in relation to ACL injuries (O’ Loughlin et al., 2024) and concussion (Hardaker et al., 2024). This chapter will outline what is known about how the menstrual cycle affects injury risk and recovery, combined with other factors, and the sociocultural context surrounding menstrual health in sport. Herein, we also discuss how women present to sports medicine clinics with questions regarding their injury and the importance of education and communication about the menstrual cycle in this setting.