SUMMARY
- Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) comes under fire for having a questionnaire about menstruation for women.
- According to experts, knowledge about menstrual cycles gives insight about the player's health.
The Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) has recently come under scrutiny for requiring female soccer players to provide details about their menstrual history as part of the admission process. This unexpected and seemingly invasive inquiry has sparked discussions about privacy. Further adding questions about gender equality and the relevance of such information in the realm of sports.
UHSAA’s questionnaire poses several personal questions to female soccer players. These questions included the age of their first menstrual period, the timing of their most recent period, the usual gap between periods, the number of periods in the last year, and the longest time between periods in the same timeframe.
Why do they ask girls about the menstrual cycle?
Physicians ask athletes about their menstrual cycles because irregularities may indicate poor bone health, according to Dr. Rebecca Carl, an associate professor at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. She is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness.
Registering my daughter for high school soccer tryouts and I get to this lovely little bit. Why would the UHSAA need this information? What does this have to do with her playing soccer?? What the hell? pic.twitter.com/JVAt7pr9aF
— Ash ✌🏼it’s all happening (@AshleyBK7) July 13, 2023
Athletes who engage in high-impact activities such as running may be at an increased risk of stress fractures due to menstrual irregularities. Athletes participate in sports that encourage a lean physique. Sports medicine physicians and pediatricians do not consider irregular or absent periods healthy in athletes, even though it is common.
Carl points out that this can be a sign of increased risk for stress fracture. That is why physicians ask about the frequency of menstrual periods. According to The Salt Lake Tribune, high school activity associations in nearly every state use preparticipation forms that ask for menstruation information.
Some states do not require the forms, but individual schools may use them. Three states only ask about menstrual irregularities or problems, while two states specifically state that questions about menstruation are optional. The National Federation of State High School Associations links to one form used in many states. Although Utah uses different forms, they still include questions about menstruation.
It’s to make sure they keep track of the players menstrual cycle and how much it affects them, the more pain you have the lesser your chance.
Imagine there’s a final tomorrow and 5 best players are to start painful menstruation same day, they would lose
— Drackson (@drakson_MCI) February 25, 2024
The UHSAA’s lawyer, Mark Van Wagoner, said that any student could decline to answer the questions about menstruation. Several former Utah high school athletes reported that they were not informed about the purpose of certain questions in the sports physical.
Who stores the data and has access to it?
Utah high school athletes use the Register My Athlete website to complete a series of steps to participate in their chosen sport. According to a document on UHSAA’s website, athletes must undergo physical exams every year, and they need to either upload or submit the relevant forms to the school’s athletic administration in person after a physician fills them out.
However, this step could potentially lead to sensitive medical information being accessible to school administrators and high school associations, which goes against AAP’s guidelines. This form serves as a record of the medical interaction between a doctor and a student-athlete, and its intended purpose is not to share this information with the school.
Celebrating the power and talent of female athletes! Today, the UHSAA held their 1st “Women in Sports” day at Bingham High School. Schools were invited to bring five female athletes who attended break out sessions and heard from some incredible speakers. It was a huge success! pic.twitter.com/Mh7PjEloPP
— UHSAA (@UHSAAinfo) February 22, 2024
Florida came under fire for moving storage of participation documents to an online platform, raising privacy concerns. Two months later, the conversation on privacy surrounding reproductive health was also initiated. The practice of tracking menstrual cycles can be potentially dangerous, according to some athletes and coaches.
Schools should only be aware of specific medical conditions that are uncommon, such as asthma or heart conditions. HIPAA and FERPA protect medical and educational records, but they are not protected if demanded in a court of law.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic on US’s pay-to-play model
In 2022, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was on vacation in the USA. During his trip, he attended an NBA game where he met Kyrie Irving. Ibrahimovic is currently recuperating from an injury and it is still uncertain whether he will be joining the club soon.
He also attended the World Cup final in Qatar where Argentina emerged victorious against France in a closely contested match. However, he did express his views about soccer in the US and received support from a USWNT legend.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic speaking about the cost for children to play football in USA 🗣
”It has to be said that the sport is expensive, very expensive. For example, in order for my children to play in a good football team, I have to pay $ 3,500 per child… pic.twitter.com/EwK5ZXyADr
— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) December 5, 2019
After leaving MLS and moving to Serie A Ibrahimovic talked about the high cost of playing soccer in the US. Wherein he expressed his opinion on the matter. Zlatan said, “For my children to play in a good football team, I have to pay $3,500 per child. It is not for the figure but for the whole concept…” He further added, “I dislike it very much because not everyone has the money needed and the sport should be something for everyone because it unites people of whatever origin…“
His statement was posted on a USMNT fan page. Which attracted a response from Heather Mitts, an Olympic medalist and USWNT legend. In response, she shared the post and wrote, “I agree Zlatan. I agree”, which indicates that Ibrahimovic had identified the underlying issues a long time ago.