I am a male, age group triathlete and father to two teenage daughters who are athletes. This is important information and well presented. It helped me with a conversation that was difficult for me to start. Thanks from a Dad

This kind of content is so important for young female runners who aspire to become pro athletes. Thank you for promoting this healthy mindset!

You should become a coach of young female athletes for Nike😉

Wow, thank you for doing this! This is so important and it's almost never talked about. This is one reason why we need more female coaches.

I’ve struggled with amenorrhea for years. I’m working to finally get my cycle back and eventually resume training at a higher level. It’s inspiring to hear from athletes that have managed to maintain their cycles and a high training volume.

Yes yes yess!! Thank you for talking about this so openly because it’s such a taboo subject in sport 💪🏻

Have never clicked on a video so fast. Thanks Gwen!!!

Thank you for talking about this important topic. It took me a few years to realize how my training is affected by my cycle and it helps a lot (especially during those shitty days when everything feels so hard). I didn't know about the nutritional aspects though. Thanks again!

THANK YOU!!! I wish I had known this stuff 20 years ago- women and girls need to hear this from you, A professional athlete. I am cheering for you!!!

Thanks for sharing this!! Even when I was in high school in 2006-2010 it was still the “norm” to miss periods or not have them at all because we were running so much. It was almost looked at a positive sign that you were training hard enough if you had irregular/missing periods. I think times are changing though... but it’s athletes like you who are choosing to talk about it who are making a difference! Thank you!!!

Thank you so much for this Gwen!! This is so important and is not talked enough about especially in elite sports.

This is huge! Thank you so much for bringing this subject up. Go cups!

Yes Gwen, yes! Thank you for talking about this!

This is so amazing -thank you for talking about this!!

Thank you, Gwen!! That was such a fantastic, clear presentation. I've been following those general ideas (mindful tracking, cycling naturally) for about a decade and wish I knew about it in high school and college. Glad you're helping make this important topic more public. It provides benefits in all aspects of life.

I wish I had that information 40 years ago when I went through 2 years of amenorhea. I have ostepenia today but continue to run.I love all of your videos. Thank you.

Thanks for continuing to raise awareness of periods and how they play a part in female sport

Such an important convo to make louder! Thanks for addressing the hormonal bc pills. My amenorrhea stayed undiagnosed on them and I often wonder how many professional athletes experience something similar. Thanks, again!

Blimey this is exactly the type of content that needs to be shared and goes viral, awareness for female athletes is key! Such an honest and frank conversation, absolutely brilliant!

Thank you so much for this !! This is what young athletes like me , and other women need to know about. It’s very confusing and not talked about subject. Thank you for taking the time ❤️

I just want to say thank you for being so informative and open about this. I'm trying to get into coaching and this is a great resource to understand your female athletes and work with them. Thank you!

Thanks for talking about this GWEN!!! I have always tried to be attentive to how my body feels, but as many people have said it's not always so easy to be educated for women of all ages. Doctors always want to push the hormonal corrective route instead of addressing our bodies needs. Recently was really glad to hear another Nike coach/runner talking about her cycle, and its great there should be no stigma or shame in being a woman and all the aspects we encompass ! I am really interested in the menstrual cup too!!! Thank your sharing!!!!!!!

Thank you for sharing this for all women and men supporting women! I learned a lot from it !

I love your very real and honest approach to topics. Recently Garmin Connect added a component to their app to track cycles, so it says if you're in the Luteal phase, for instance, or that your RHR may go up around ovulation. Your overview helps explain how knowing these things could help. :) Thanks!

I’m conflicted with this as an old athlete who suffered terribly during my cycle in high school and felt extreme improvement in my menstral symptoms on BCP when a collegiate athlete. I seriously consider going on lo-estrogen BCP a miracle for me and was amazed at how much better everything was after. I now have a pre-teen who hasn’t yet started her cycle and I want to be sure she is well educated on this as a female athlete. Thanks for the video, definitely going to look into the menstral cup as well.

I'm in those two blue squares you colored in: the pre-period feelings of general blah-ness and lethargy! 🤪 Very well-explained and insightful (coming from a professional athlete, especially; this is a different perspective compared to the usual stuff taught in school) video! Thanks, Gwen!

This is incredible!!! What a well done video. Fantastic content.

What a great video! Thank you so much for sharing this. I love hearing that you had great performances on every day of your cycle. Maybe one day you can do another video like this on training while pregnant and pregnancy hormones.

Thank you for sharing this. Very informative. I like how you explained the correlation of feelings -hormones - training results.

Great source of information Gwen! Such videos are so helpful to guide female athletes. Thankyou 😊

This is just so helpful, thank you. I use a Moon Cup which is a real game-changer. For the first couple of days of my period I always take it easy (I normally plan in easy runs around these days), but after this, it allows me to continue my training worry free.

Thanks for sharing candidly, Gwen!

Well done on reviewing a topic that even confused me in medical school 😆 even though I can't agree with everything you talk about it. It is important for women not having periods sometimes because of excessive exercise, low weight or PCOS to see their physician. Sometimes hormonal regulation is important for regulation and feeling better abs stable from hormonal imbalance but truthfully everyone has to find what works for them. Again I applaud you for excellent review and discuss issue from an athlete's point of view

Wow, never been prouder of you than now. Seeing you take on a ‘taboo subject’ and helping so many women understand the importance of this and how it can affect your overall health and longevity in sport. I think this is going to help a lot of people. This should be required watching for male coaches. Or maybe all coaches?

Menstrual cup is a game changer!! I've used them for years but I can never convince anyone how great they are!

great video, Gwen!! thank you so much!!!

thank you so much for this. although I am not a professional athlete, I regularly run and have become more aware of the possible affects my cycle may have upon me when I am training. I will look into this more :)

Thanks, I really wished that this was presented when I was a kid in High school.

Thank you so much for sharing! I love how much our sport is starting a dialogue about menstruation, especially since we now know that it isn't normal to lose your period when training hard. I do disagree with your comments about hormonal birth control, however. I would like to caution viewers that, while hormonal birth control does disrupt your natural cycle, it can be a healthy part of your lifestyle and is sometimes the best option for you (talk to your doctor!!). If you are on hormonal birth control, you should be sure your doctor knows that you are a runner and he or she should be checking for other signs of RED-S such as anemia, fatigue, injuries, depression, unusually low or high resting heart rate, eating disorder symptoms, or other unusual bloodwork. Your period is an easy indicator of health, but it is not the only indicator. In fact, you usually have one or more of the above symptoms long before losing your period!

*GREAT* video Gwen, thank you for taking the time to discuss this topic, and I especially loved the emphasis on feelings not dictating outcomes. That's something I have to remind myself every month (mainly feelings are not reality...since I tend to get extremely irritable, etc. on the same two days as you!). You've got a knack for teaching 😁👍

Really interesting Gwen how it affects you. Love your videos!

This is amazing! As a young athlete who was misinformed about this, thank you for educating me and normalizing the topic. You have a new subscriber :)

What an awesome video, thanks for taking the time digest the research and present it in a clear and thoughtful way! I'm doing work in graduate school looking at low/non hormonal contraceptives and their effect on exercise - so much we don't understand! I see some others here might be misunderstanding your view on birth control - given it's usefulness in a lot of other situations. Using it to "get your period back" is an outdated but common treatment by doctors, even though it doesn't address the low energy availability at the root of the problem. Thanks for this work, cheering you on in 2020 and beyond!

Awesome. Thanks so much for making this video!

This is brilliant Gwen!

this is important!! thank you so much.

Thank you SO much for this video and breaking down this long-held belief that its 'ok' for runners not to have natural periods

Thank you for this video. Really eye opening

This is a great video! Thank you!!!!

Awesome video!!! Thank you!

This was a great help! Thanks for information

Excellent job on this topic! I highly recommend everyone check out Dr. Stacy T. Sims, a research scientist and athlete, whose written a book (ROAR) about all of this. She provides all kinds of solid info and advice for female athletes.

YES!!!!!! QUEEN!

Great Video. I learned a lot!

I kinda know what lead to the idea behind making this video. It's really useful to know what to consider when a female athlete trains at a high level. It's not just about getting your weight "right" if you know what I mean. Very informative and an excellent explanation!

In addition to Roar by Stacy Sims, I would also recommend reading “in the flo” by Alisa Vitti for anyone who wants to improve their hormonal health ☺️

Did you read Stacy Sims "Roar"? She writes exactly about that, and it is really good!

Nicely done!

Yep it’s all in the book ROAR from Dr Stacey Sims

I can totally relate: day 2 of my periods I get tons of energy ! During PMS I need more sleep and eat more and retain more water. When I have up birth control pill I lost my periods for one full year until my body adjusted...

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge Gwen. It is absolutely invaluable to hear an athlete at your level confirm she isn't sacrificing her health for short term performance. This is a message young (and older!!) female athletes need to hear more often. You are so right about tracking- everyone has differences in how they respond. I actually feel my worst in the middle of the luteal phase. Like you I don't change my training but sometimes little changes to diet and recovery can help alleviate the worst of the symptoms. And also so great to hear you praise the menstrual cup! I lost my period for a long time due to undereating and overtraining, but when I got it back regularly last year I restarted with the cup and it's great. No clogging up the oceans! As a heavy bleeder, it's the only menstrual product that gets me through the night and no athlete wants their sleep interrupted!

Thank you it helps a lot.

I use an app called Clue to track my period and how I feel throughout the month! You might like it, it's easy to use and provides summary reports/statistics on your cycles!

If this is a Talbot production... what a champ!! So many men cringe at these topics but this is a GREAT topic to cover for female athletes especially those new to sport. But Gwen... your doodle skills.... need a little work. You're no Bob Ross 🤣 Joking aside, awesome video as usual.

Thanks! loved the way you presented the topic. I just want to ask you, how would the hormonal funtion will be different if as me i just have my period for 2 or 3 days. its been like that always, running or not.

Gracias 🙏

As a 52 year old non elite guy, THANK YOU for posting this very important content with your own honest personal slant. I hope it reaches ALL. I was aware of the relationship periods and sports even as a teenager but it is only now (decades later) that I am understanding the full story. However.. The timing of this post is something that should also be openly addressed and that you are a Nike athlete as well as stating clearly whether or not Nike have had any influence in bringing out this story. The issue is not specific to one sports brand or any given sports and so to reach the audience it needs to, full disclosure is unfortunately necessary. I really want this message to reach all, so please do not consider this a negative comment (I gave the video a Like).. it is just something that needs to be placed in the video description at least. I hope you understand. Gosh.. this was a difficult comment to make

Last year I was on the bus to a race and I was getting bad cramps but I thought nothing of it. I had my period before an it was a bit new to me ( Around 1 year). I had no pads and I had to run on my period with nothing. It was my favorite race because I got my personal record there and I was hoping to get a new personal record.

Can you link the various research sources you referenced in the video description? Fantastic video!

I was actually considering getting back on birth control but this video changed my mind. 👏🏼

Thank you!! I’ve been seeing a doctor for the past year or so to deal with some of my hormonal imbalances (some of the hormones do not peak at the correct times, making my periods really fucked up, due to cysts on the ovaries!) it’s so important that every menstruating person knows how all the hormones work, to help explain moods and exhaustion and hunger! I’m also totally on the same page as you re: hormonal birth control methods. Do you experience bad cramps during your period? If so, how do you find relief?

Hi Gwen. Been loving your channel! I love seeing your son randomly as well. He's the cutest! I have a question. You said talked about switching to a menstrual cup. I recently bought one and I'll try it on my next period. I was wondering if you wear it while you run as well and how it feels wearing it while you run? Does it feel comfortable while running? Thank you!! :D :D

Idk if you ever struggled with amenorrhea, but if you did-Did you have to stop all exercise to get it back? Or did you just make sure u were getting enough food/sleep? Thanks

This video was very helpful for me. I've become so discouraged with my painful, heavy periods that sometimes cause me to miss work that I considered trying to drop enough weight to outright stop them. I didn't realize that they were necessary for bone health. Do you feel that your periods have changed in any way since you have become a serious athlete? I am hoping that training harder will make them more manageable, perhaps by increasing my pain tolerance or balancing hormones...it's all conjecture at this point!

I am not sure why this is in my feed. One day watching triathletes and next day mental cycles.

Came here after watching 2016 Olympic, Rio de Janeiro

Hi Gwen, me and my wife are both distance runners,very new though but we are training hard to get to the elites. I wanted to know if u run on your menstruation days or u don't. If u do run,do u reschedule your hard days or go as a schedule. She gets her periods regularly though. So we can schedule her workouts accordingly from future. Her performance are same on all days though. Only wanting to know is there any side effects on pushing hard those days or not. Thank you, Manash

Thank you for normalizing a NORMAL female process. However, losing your period is actually a LATE sign that your body is operating at an energy deficit. The survival of the species is prioritized over the health of individual members of the species (not just human but across all mammals). Your body will sacrifice itself to maintain the ability to procreate until it is physically incapable of doing so. When in doubt talk to your doctor. Jennifer, MD - Pediatric Sports Medicine... PS Go Badgers!

I hit the Liked button and moved swiftly on. Catch you at the next vlog 😀😀

Wonderful video. Personally a purely recreational runner and have done a few triathlons. Been on Depo injection since I met my husband. No period since. Wonder if there’s a difference between depo and the pill in training?

honestly I want to cry the cups but I just can't put myself actually doing It Im scared. plus so many questions about it as well.

Hi Gwen, can I ask if you are taking supplement to protect the bones? Like Glucosamine or something? Thank you:)

Nursing student here- question for you Gwen only if you feel comfortable!!! What BC do you use if you don't use hormonal? Copper IUD? I'm in my woman's health term in school and am really curious what is the bc trend among female athletes right now.

Gold medal details!

What if on the marathon day you are on your period? Which product one should choose? Pads I think will be a bad idea because it will chafe. What about tampons and menstrual cups will they chafe or leak when you are running a full marathon ?

What menstrual cup do you use that has worked well with running over 4 hours?

I'm a hyschool cross country runner, and I get my period twice a year. I don't know what to do. What should I do? My mom says it's genetic should I tell my coach?

What type of non-hormonal birth control would you recommend/have you tried?

Board certified OB/GYN here (and middle aged runner type). First, kudos for addressing this in a format that's easy to understand and for sharing your personal experiences. Second, I disagree with the assertion that hormonal birth control is bad for you. It may not work for you personally, but decades of research shows how it helps MANY women through difficult cycles. It's also a myth that you must have a period every month, provided you are using a hormonal contraceptive. Absent periods (in the absence of pregnancy, menopause, and hormonal birth control) IS however not normal. Kudos to all the women that challenge themselves to reach a goal through running, cycling, etc.

Love the video - however there is nothing wrong with being on the pill

I am so much slower when i run on my period...is that normal?

Am a male athlete and I don’t know wtf am doing here🤣🤣🤣

I'm a dude. I just clicked on it to comment that. I didn't watch it. Moving one. 😂😂😂

Good thing you’re sponsored by a company that would never force a woman to lose her period.........#justdoit....or else lol

pro estrogen???...... did she mean progesterone