The impact of sportswomen’s menstrual cycle on performance is “the last taboo” in sport, says Annabel Croft, former number one in British tennis.
Small farm said live on BBC Radio 5 that women “suffer in silence” on the subject.
His comments were made following British number one Heather Watson’s Australian Open. defeat in the first round, in which she admitted to not feeling well.
Watson told BBC Sport: “I think it’s just one of those things that I have, girl things.”
The 22-year-old said she was suffering from dizziness, nausea, low energy levels and bouts of dizziness when she lost 6-4 6-0 to Bulgarian world number 52 Tsvetana Pironkova.
She called the doctor near the end of the first set and was visibly struggling as Pironkova won the final seven games.
After the loss, Watson said she was convinced it wasn’t a comeback from glandular fever from which she suffered in 2013.
“I understand sometimes,” she said. “I’m going to go see the doctor afterwards and see if I can do anything to help in times like these in the future.”
