{"id":28127,"date":"2024-10-29T15:01:50","date_gmt":"2024-10-29T15:01:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/?post_type=article&p=28127"},"modified":"2025-12-15T11:01:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T11:01:24","slug":"female-specific-considerations-should-be-part-of-normal-practice","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/female-specific-considerations-should-be-part-of-normal-practice\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Female-Specific Considerations Should Be Part of Normal Practice\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
\n\t
\n\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t
\n \n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n 29 Oct 2024 <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>Articles<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u2018Female-Specific Considerations Should Be Part of Normal Practice\u2019<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n \n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
\n
Category<\/div>\n Human Performance<\/a>, Leadership & Culture<\/a> <\/div>\n
\n
Share<\/div>\n Facebook<\/a>\n Twitter<\/a>\n Email<\/a>\n Copy Link<\/a>\n
https:\/\/leadersinsport.com\/performance-institute\/articles\/female-specific-considerations-should-be-part-of-normal-practice\/<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Esther Goldsmith and Dr Natalie Brown explain how Sport Wales provides embedded support for Welsh athletes.<\/p>\n \n \n \n

\n

By Esther Goldsmith and Dr Natalie Brown<\/h6>\n
We know that females are different to males, and that we need to take that into account when working with female athletes \u2013 but what does this really mean in practice?<\/h6>\n

As we mentioned previously, there is a lot of myths and confusion<\/a> about what you should or shouldn\u2019t be doing as a practitioner or coach in sport when working with females. Unfortunately, similar to all sports science practices, there is no \u2018one-size-fits-all\u2019 approach. Every athlete that you work with is going to be different, and female athletes are no exception. In fact, when it comes to menstrual cycles, we know that this increases variation as every individual will have a different experience of their menstrual cycle, and this might even change from cycle to cycle.<\/p>\n

At Sport Wales we work internally and externally to ensure that every female athlete in Wales can access support when it comes to female athlete health. However, this looks different depending on the context.. We have a dedicated team of practitioners who work together to provide a multidisciplinary approach to support female health and performance. As a team, we have four aims:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Enhance knowledge and awareness<\/li>\n
  2. Establish open and supportive environments<\/li>\n
  3. Embed positive behaviours<\/li>\n
  4. Equip with solutions and management strategies<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Whilst menstrual cycles have previously been a big focus of research and delivery at Sport Wales, we also appreciate that this isn\u2019t the only area that female athletes need support in! Pelvic health, pregnancy, breast support, female puberty, menopause and RED-S [relative energy deficiency in sport] are areas that we have expertise around and are working with sports to consider. We also make sure that female-specific factors are considered across all practitioner disciplines, and collaborate with other teams in Sport Wales, such as the coaching team, for consistency and a whole organisation approach.<\/p>\n

    Female-specific factors do not have to be standalone or demand a lot of time and resource. Instead, we promote integrating and embedding into ongoing work to support the individual athlete. Some good examples of this might be:<\/p>\n