New insurance products for female sports stars must cover fertility care
With changes to insurance products for female sports stars incoming, Dr Mireia Galian says women can’t be undermined though a lack of consideration for fertility support
Maintaining good health and wellbeing goes hand in hand with performance for elite athletes. But for women, there’s an added layer. Women’s health and biology – such as natural hormonal cycles – can influence day-to-day performance and training. And we are finally starting to talk about it.
The likes of athletics star Dina Asher-Smith have highlighted how biological factors can influence overall performance. And a growth in awareness across this topic presents an opportunity to strengthen how athlete health is supported during and after peak performance years.
Reforms to insurance cover for female players following Karen Carney’s Independent Review of Women’s Football and the Women’s Football Taskforce, may represent a step in the right direction. Provisions for pregnancy, contraception and menopause have been widely welcomed across a number of relevant sectors yet these changes address only some of the longstanding gaps in support for female athletes.
One critical area still unaddressed following the reforms? The impact of women’s health on fertility.
Fertility cannot be undermined
Peak performance years often overlap with elite female athletes’ optimal reproductive years. Those who become mothers during their careers are rightly celebrated but some may decide to focus on their careers rather than starting a family.
In particular, elite athletes often push themselves into intense training regimes and strict diets, leading to low body fat that can disrupt natural hormone balance and menstrual cycles. In fact, nearly two-thirds of professional athletes experience irregular periods or stop menstruating altogether, which can affect their ability to conceive naturally. Those who choose to postpone conception may face the natural decline in fertility that comes with age.
Some progress exists: last year the WTA Tour committed to protecting the rankings of tennis players who took time out to preserve their fertility. Paid, protected time off for fertility assessment and training should therefore be considered across women’s sports. Sports organisations and employers should ensure female athletes have access to fertility support. This should not only include options for fertility preservation, such as egg freezing, but also extend to assistance with fertility treatment. Failing to provide this would place female athletes in the difficult position of having to choose between their careers and parenthood – a choice rarely asked of male counterparts.
However, widespread adoption of fertility support for female athletes across the sports sector is essential and it should be included as part of any insurance cover. Recognising the impact of women’s health on fertility, sports organisations and employers should ensure it is a core component of female athlete health and wellbeing. This includes offering both flexibility and support around treatment, as well as timely access to fertility preservation options. Anything less risks undermining the progress that has been made in women’s sport recently.
Dr Mireia Galian is the Medical Director at fertility clinic IVI London