"Periods are our Superpower" England Rugby International Rachael Burford on The Period Panel

Rachael Burford is an English Rugby player and has been playing the sport since she was just six years of age. She was recently on our Period Panel to discuss how she felt growing up in a sport around the stereotypes and knowledge of periods from a young girl now to a successful international athlete.

The only time she spoke about her period during her time as a young athlete was to talk about contraceptives to stop a period from happening at a tournament or big game. She expressed how there is a lot of embarrassment and shame for young girls when they first get it. The education they receive regarding periods makes it seem like it’s a big secret that is not supposed to be talked about, which is why when girls grow up, it is still a taboo topic.

Burford expressed that the more menstruation is spoken about, there will not be a need for women to feel like they need to run away every month. It needs to be normalised with other women and men. A lot of female sports have a male coach, so it is important that girls have someone they feel comfortable to go to about this topic.

Burford says women should also be educating themselves not just on periods in general, but their own personal menstrual cycle. There are lots of gains once you understand the cycle, Burford says on the panel, “ If we can understand it, we can actually use it as a superpower of ours”

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