Periods remain the biggest barrier for secondary school girls accessing physical activity at school, data from Youth Sport Trust shows. For Loughborough Lightning captain Nat Panagarry, it is “unacceptable” that young girls are still worrying about the same things she did 20 years ago.
Whether the concern is leaking, cramps, bloating or heavy bleeding, Panagarry is determined to change the narrative around the menstrual cycle in sport and stop girls dropping out at puberty. “It does make me really sad because it feels like it was something that I was worrying about when I was 14/15 and I’m 35 now, we’re 20 years on, and the young girls coming through are still having that feeling,” she said. “That conversation around periods isn’t happening enough. It makes me sad and frustrated because I know how much joy sport has brought me. I think the person I am today is due to playing sport, the people I’ve met and the confidence it’s given me.”
Panagarry says it is the responsibility of older women to have these conversations so the next generation don’t feel blocked from playing hockey, tennis, cricket, football or netball. “To think that young girls that want to play sport still have that barrier of their period and feel like they can’t speak about it, or don’t know where to get female products from, or can’t afford those products, that to me is just unacceptable. It is our duty, being older women, to be having these conversations so the next generation don’t feel like this.”
Having played for Lightning since 2015 and reaching 200 Netball Super League games on March 8, Panagarry has seen research and attitudes toward women’s sport shift dramatically, but believes there is more to do. Lightning’s support staff have increasingly examined how women’s health affects performance, a factor Panagarry credits in part for the team’s consistent success. She says norms she grew up with can be harmful: discussing your cycle with coaches and teammates doesn’t make you less strong.
Panagarry is also a vocal supporter of making free menstrual products available in all women’s public restrooms. “It’s been really nice to see conversations about the menstrual cycle being brought up more, with women and girls being more open to speak about it because so many of us are going through the same thing,” she said. Growing up in Preston with a “no nonsense” attitude meant pushing through, but she now recognises that expecting to give “a hundred per cent” during your period isn’t always realistic or healthy.
Leaking used to be a major worry for Panagarry, who experiences heavy bleeding especially in the first couple of days of her cycle. Undershorts were often light colours, so she would sometimes wear both a pad and a tampon to feel secure while playing. The availability of black undershorts and period underwear (from Lightning’s sponsor Hustl) has given her far greater confidence on court. She has also noticed younger players are much more open about periods than when she was their age, and praises their confidence and willingness to speak up.
“As women when we get older I think we get more and more confident, you’re a bit more ballsy, you protect yourself a bit more,” Panagarry added. “When you’re younger sometimes you feel like you come into these spaces and maybe you’ve got to be a bit quieter and get used to people. But I’m just loving this next generation that you do feel like have a massive voice and a massive opinion, I’m loving Gen Z and everything they’re about.”
Netball, especially in the Super League, is about one per cent gains — recovery, nutrition, hydration — and Panagarry believes women’s health has many small gains that add up. “If us talking helps any young girl feel like their period won’t stop them going on a netball court, if we can help just one young girl, that for me is what it’s all about.”
Watch the Netball Super League live on Sky Sports this season, with round six’s double header where Nottingham Forest host LexisNexis Dragons and Loughborough Lightning take on Manchester Thunder from 2:50pm on April 4.