“Ignoring it doesn’t make it go away”
A European champion sprinter has opened up on her struggle with what she calls sport’s ‘last taboo’.
Success Eduan, from Blackley, won two medals at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tallinn, Estonia in July 2021 – including a gold in the 4x100m relay.
In February 2023, the 21-year-old athlete won 200m gold at the British Indoor Athletics Championships in Birmingham with a time of 23.49 seconds.
But the former head girl at St Matthew’s Roman Catholic High School in Moston says she now wants to help break the stigma for athletes around heavier periods.
Success opened up about having periods so heavy she had to miss training sessions, and is working with Active Iron as part of a campaign to end women “suffering in silence”.
She said: “Periods are a natural part of life but are still treated as a taboo subject, especially in sport. This stigma makes it harder to talk about real challenges like heavier periods and fatigue, even though they impact performance.
“I believe open discussions about menstrual health are just as important as conversations about nutrition, recovery, and injury prevention as ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.”
She added: “I put my body through a lot… As an athlete you try to micromanage when you feel your best and when you don’t.
“But every three months I have a really bad experience. In the beginning I would miss training because I more or less couldn’t get through it and I had to rest.”
After approaching her coach for advice, Success now tailors her training around her cycle. This helps to make sure she is feeling strong and ready to take on the demanding regimen.
She said: “We will plan our training around it. She always asks me at the start of each session, ‘How are you feeling today?’.
“There are times I do have to slow down a little bit. I know if I push it too hard you can cause yourself to be sick or have an injury. It’s my body and it needs to be listened to.”
She added: “I know my period is coming because I feel so tired. When I’m on my period I feel really slow, with no energy at all. I find my muscles are a lot more sore and it takes longer to recover.”
Not only is Success training for the European championships this year, she is also studying to be a midwife at the University of Salford.
This includes keeping her energy levels up.
“I have been taking Active Iron and have learnt a lot more about iron and energy,” she said. “When I have heavier period days, I do feel drained and sluggish.
“I have noticed an improvement with my energy and performance as a result now that I am consistently taking Active Iron. Avoiding burnout is really important. I’m also feeling more mentally sharp which is a huge thing with my performance.”
