Abstract
In this article it will be concluded that systematic menstrual tracking in women’s sport has the potential to cause harm to athletes. Since the ruling of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) in the United States, concerns regarding menstrual health tracking have arisen. Research suggests that the menstrual tracking of female athletes presents potential risks to “women’s autonomy, privacy, and safety in sport” (Casto 2022, 1725). At present, the repercussions of systematic menstrual tracking are particularly under-scrutinized, and this paper seeks to combine novel research in the sport sciences with present ethical debates in the philosophy of sports. Utilizing Beauvoir’s feminist philosophy (2011), this paper argues that systematic menstrual tracking may contribute to the wider system of women’s oppression by exploiting female athletes, as well as enabling the internalization of submissive behaviour in cultures where athletes are expected to comply unquestioningly. Five policy recommendations are made concerning autonomy, informed consent, education, safeguarding and data access. The overall findings of this paper propose that a more in-depth understanding of the links between data, privacy, and the menstrual cycle are required by sports organizations and governing bodies if athletes are to be protected in a future where systematic menstrual tracking is inevitable.
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Notes
For the purpose of this discussion, the distinction is not necessary. Amenorrhea is caused by the body trying to self-preserve often due to stress, not meeting the calorific needs of the body, and low body fat. To prevent further stresses such as pregnancy, the body produces less oestrogen, resulting in health issues such as “increased rate of musculoskeletal injuries, stress fractures, abnormal lipid profiles, endothelial dysfunction, potential irreversible bone loss, depression, anxiety, low self- esteem, and increased mortality” (Berz and McCambridge 2016, p e97). It is worth noting that there are two types of amenorrhea: primary amenorrhea and secondary amenorrhea. Primary amenorrhea can be described as “a failure to reach the first menstrual period,” whereas secondary amenorrhea can be described as “the absence of menstruation for three or more months in women with previous regular menses” (Gimunová et al. 2022, 15–16).
I would like to further add that although I have presented these categories as distinct, they will at times overlap considerably.
Although Casto (2022) uses the term “reproductive” for health and data, I have opted to use the term “menstrual” on the basis that not all women choose to reproduce, ergo menstrual health and menstrual health data are more accurate terms unless the topics of pregnancy and abortion are discussed.
There are of course exceptions, however due to the nature of the argument it is also worth noting that some female athletes who started sport from a young age may experience delayed menstruation or primary amenorrhea (see note 3).
A further issue which has been brought to the author’s attention is the problem of pregnancy/abortion doping. Pregnancy/abortion doping may be defined as “the misuse of pregnancy and/or abortion by a female athlete, her coach, or support person to artificially induce physiologic advantage, increase red blood cell mass, enhance the delivery of oxygen and boost athletic performance” via impregnation and (potentially) consequent abortion (Sorensen 2009, 723). Though it is possible for pregnancy to affect an athlete’s biological passport (Mullen et al. 2018), research has shown that pregnancy/abortion doping has been scientifically debunked as an effective method of doping (Sorensen 2009). Despite this, it is possible that some athletes, in extreme circumstances, could still be pressured into such methods.
Biological data is required if an athlete is competing in a sport which is categorized on the basis of sex, which would suggest that this data should be shared between an athlete and the competition. Sports which are categorized as unisex would not warrant such information. However, further debates surrounding definitions of sex and sex categorization (see Martínková, Parry, and Imbrišević 2023) are beyond the scope of this paper and detract from the intended focus of the discussion, this being data leaks and privacy of athlete health information.
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I would like to thank my consultant, Irena Parry Martínková, and my supervisor, Jim Parry, for their help with this article. Their advice is always of great value and immensely appreciated.
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Howe, O.R. Ethical Risks of Systematic Menstrual Tracking in Sport. Bioethical Inquiry (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-023-10333-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11673-023-10333-9