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Science & technology
科技版块
Menstruation and athletics
生理期和田径
Cycle races
周期比赛
Menstrual cycle coaching may help sports women improve their performances.
生理周期指导可以帮助运动女性提高她们的表现。
Just 0.63 seconds separated first from fourth place in the women’s 100 metres freestyle at the recent Tokyo Olympic Games -- a race where the winning time was 51.96 seconds.
在最近的东京奥运会女子100米自由泳比赛中，第一名和第四名的差距只有0.63秒--夺冠者用时为51.96秒。
In light of this and similar facts, it is not surprising that elite athletes are constantly searching for ways to get even 1% better.
鉴于这一点和类似的事实，精英运动员不断地寻找方法，哪怕为了提高1%也不奇怪。
To that end, they hire strength coaches, nutritionists and sports psychologists.
为此，他们聘请了力量教练、营养师和运动心理学家。
And lately, some female athletes have been trying a new tack: working with menstrual-cycle coaches.
最近，一些女运动员一直在尝试一种新方法：随着生理周期进行训练。
Good data concerning the effects of menstruation on athletic performance are scant.
关于月经对运动成绩影响的好数据很少。
However, according to four studies conducted in 2020 on more than 250 athletes from a range of sports, more than half of sportswomen believe their performance fluctuates with the phase of their menstrual cycle.
然而，根据2020年对来自不同运动项目的250多名运动员进行的四项研究，超过一半的女运动员认为她们的表现会随着生理周期的不同而波动。
In particular, many said they suffered in the weeks immediately before and during menstruation.
特别是，许多人说他们在生理期前和生理期期间很痛苦。
World-class performers like Fu Yuanhui, a Chinese swimmer, have spoken openly about this, too.
像中国游泳运动员傅园慧这样的世界级运动员也公开讨论过这一点。
And female athletes also report distraction and worry about bleeding while actively menstruating, a matter which made the news recently when a group of activists protested about the all-white dress code at the Wimbledon tennis championships.
女运动员也表示，在月经来潮时会分心和担心出血，最近一群活动人士抗议温布尔登网球锦标赛上全白色的着装要求，这件事成了新闻。
There is, as well, the question of safety.
此外，还有安全问题。
Again, this is poorly researched.
同样，这方面的研究也很少。
An exception, though, is damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (acl) of the knee.
不过，膝关节前交叉韧带(ACL)受损是一个例外。
Women are much more prone to acl injuries than men and some studies suggest the level of risk is related to the menstrual cycle.
女性比男性更容易发生前交叉韧带损伤，一些研究表明，风险水平与月经周期有关。
Given the wide physiological effects of that cycle, the neglect of its consequences for sport is stark.
考虑到这一周期的广泛生理影响，忽视其对体育运动的影响是显而易见的。
The intricate monthly tango of oestrogen and progesterone, the main hormones which regulate it, has consequences far beyond preparing the body to reproduce.
雌激素和孕激素每月错综复杂的变化，是调节生理期的主要荷尔蒙，其影响远远超出了身体做好生育准备的范围。
The complexity of this dance, compared with the hormonal stability of men, is one reason for that neglect.
这种变化的复杂性，与男性荷尔蒙的稳定性相比，是被忽视的原因之一。
But others are that sport is studied largely by male researchers, and male sport is currently more prominent and better paid.
但其他人认为，体育运动主要是由男性研究人员研究的，目前男性体育运动更突出，收入也更高。
The menstrual dance is, indeed, complex.
生理期的变化确实是复杂的。
For a start, oestrogen is anabolic, building up muscle, while progesterone is catabolic, breaking it down.
首先，雌激素是合成代谢的，可以增强肌肉，而黄体酮是分解代谢的，可以分解肌肉。
Then, at the beginning of the cycle, body cells prefer to metabolise carbohydrates.
然后，在周期的开始，身体细胞更喜欢代谢碳水化合物。
Later on, they prefer fats.
后来，他们更喜欢脂肪。
During the luteal phase, immediately after ovulation, when both hormones are high, the body is less resilient to stress and more prone to inflammation.
在排卵后的黄体期，当两种激素都很高时，身体对压力的适应性较差，更容易发生炎症。
At this point women have increased appetites, higher internal temperatures, higher resting heart rates and higher respiratory drive.
此时，女性的食欲增加，体内温度升高，静息心率加快，呼吸动力增强。
They also retain water and salt, causing them to put on weight.
她们还会保留水分和盐分，导致体重增加。
Their heat tolerance is reduced, too.
她们的耐热性也降低了。
And their moods and emotional regulation suffer.
她们的情绪和情绪调节也会受到影响。
