The Effect of an Educational Session to Improve Knowledge About the Menstrual Cycle and Hormonal Contraceptives in Junior Endurance Athletes and Their Coaches: An Exploratory Investigation.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of a tailored educational session about the menstrual cycle (MC) and hormonal contraceptives (HCs) on perceived knowledge, knowledge satisfaction, communication, and the coach-athlete relationship among junior endurance athletes and their coaches.

Methods: Junior female cross-country skiers and biathletes (n = 36) and their coaches (n = 12) completed 2 questionnaires within an 8-week interval (PRE-POST). After 2 weeks, the intervention group (20 athletes and 6 coaches) participated in a tailored educational session designed to enhance their knowledge about the MC and HCs. The control group (16 athletes and 6 coaches) received no education on this topic.

Results: Athletes and coaches in the intervention group experienced significant PRE-POST increases in perceived knowledge (estimate = 1.28, P = .002) and satisfaction (estimate = 1.20, P < .001) with their knowledge of the MC and HCs compared to the control group. Coaches had higher perceived knowledge (estimate = 1.45, P = .003) and satisfaction (estimate = 0.83, P = .041) with their knowledge of the MC than athletes. The intervention improved the degree of communication with peers (estimate = 1.02, P = .013) but not with the other role (ie, athletes' communication with coaches and vice versa; estimate = 0.12, P = .833). In addition, it improved perceived ease of communication (estimate = 0.93, P = .003). The intervention did not seem to affect the coach-athlete relationship (P > .005).

Conclusion: The educational session resulted in promising effects on perceived knowledge and satisfaction with athletes' and coaches' knowledge of the MC/HCs, while also facilitating communication among athletes. Future studies should focus on implementing and evaluating more longitudinal interventions with larger sample sizes.