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The recently released ‘Play Without Pause’ report is revealing how a ‘first-of-its-kind program menstrual health literacy program’ positively impacted girls’ sports participation in Uttar Pradesh, India. The report, launched by the Simply Sport Foundation in partnership with Capri Sports and pro women’s cricket team, UP Warriorz, tracked the impact of the six-month program in 12 districts across the state.
In India, 70% of adolescents lack menstrual knowledge and 40% of girls drop out of school after puberty. Among athletes, 82% report that menstruation affects performance, while 91% call for better support. Play Without Pause highlights systemic gaps in access to sanitary products, disposal infrastructure and nutrition guidance for young athletes.
Dedicated to inclusive athlete development through grassroots development, the foundation introduced the ‘Simply Periods’ initiative in September 2024 to improve menstrual health literacy among girls in sports. For six months, the foundation ran 26 menstrual health workshops, distributed 50,000 sanitary pads and installed six pad vending machines as part of the initiative.
Participants encompassed 1,201 athletes and coaches across Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Bhadohi, Kushinagar, Deoria, Aligarh, Agra, Ghaziabad and Noida. Workshops and data tools were used to build awareness, improve confidence and reduce training disruptions due to menstruation. The initiative intended to address the often-overlooked intersection of menstrual health and sports participation in the country. Key results include:
- Missed training days due to menstruation dropped from 40% to 23%.
- 91% of participants reported greater confidence in managing their periods.
- 78.8% showed improved menstrual health knowledge post-workshop.
- 50,000 sanitary pads were distributed and six pad vending machines were installed.
The program also introduced the Meri Khel Yatra diary, enabling athletes to track their cycles and connect them to nutrition, training and wellbeing services. Notably, male coaches, who have been traditionally excluded from menstruation-related discussions, were also engaged. Through structured workshops and interviews, coaches learned how to support athletes more sensitively, using tools such as sign-language systems for discreet communication and adjusting training loads during periods.
Simply Sport Founder Ankit Nagori said, “Menstrual health is an invisible barrier in Indian sports. Through this initiative, we wanted to make it visible, understandable and manageable. Every session, diary entry and conversation was designed to place the athlete at the center of her journey, not on the sidelines because of stigma or pain.”
The Play Without Pause report underscores the importance of addressing these barriers within the sports sector. It recommends a nationwide, gender-responsive approach to improve menstrual access, literacy and medical support. By documenting the outcomes of this pilot program, the report offers a model for Indian girls to stay confident, active and ultimately stay in the game during menstruation.
The Simply Sport Foundation is dedicated to enhancing India’s grassroots sports ecosystem, empowering athletes to achieve success in both sports and life. Its athlete-centered projects seek to make sports accessible to millions of people around the country through focused support to players, academies and sports groups. The foundation is driven by its key ideals of equity, sustainability and accessibility.
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