Careful planning and options such as egg freezing—taking two weeks for stimulation, retrieval, and recovery—could provide women with reassurance and flexibility, enabling them to consider a family later, once their career is less demanding. could have provided me with some reassurance with fertility preservation, enabling me to consider a family later, by defrosting my eggs/embryos once my career was less demanding.

I personally experienced difficulty conceiving my children and have never been entirely sure whether this was related to the intensity of training, my low BMI in adolescence, or other factors. Having been through this, I understand the importance of supporting female athletes in managing their fertility expectations as well as their menstrual cycles and energy levels during competition. Periods can bring additional stress, whether due to timing before a performance, premenstrual symptoms, painful periods, or heavy bleeding, all of which can impact competitive performance. Helping women to coordinate and manage their cycles when they are not trying to conceive is an important part of supporting female athletes.

Having been brought up in such a competitive sporting environment, it felt natural to continue this with my children. My husband’s family in South Africa also had a strong sporting background, with several relatives competing at national level. Together, we created an environment where training programs were integrated into daily life. As a result, my children have pursued professional tennis with rigorous schedules—waking at 5:30 in the morning, training by 7:00, and fitting schoolwork around this.

We are very aware of the demands of high-level sport on the body. In particular, I recognise how often discussions around managing the menstrual cycle and protecting fertility were neglected in sport. Supporting athletes under the age of 36 to consider fertility preservation/egg freezing, can try to give them some reassurance and options for the future. While not a guarantee, this allows them to remain fully committed to the sport they love, without feeling forced to choose between their athletic career and the possibility of a family later in life.

Lynne Chapman.