UCLA Health is set to lead a national study examining how premenstrual symptoms, menstrual pain and breast pain affect collegiate female student-athletes’ training, competition and overall well-being.
In the study set to begin in 2027, physician-researchers will work with student-athletes and a multidisciplinary expert panel to develop and refine an athlete-specific screening questionnaire. Researchers aim to survey approximately 750 NCAA Division I female student-athletes from multiple sports and institutions using the questionnaire. Athletes will be asked to characterize how premenstrual, menstrual and breast-related symptoms affect their athletic performance and participation.
“Premenstrual symptoms, menstrual pain and breast pain can affect an athlete’s ability to train, compete and feel well, yet these concerns may be underrecognized during routine athlete health assessments,” said the study’s lead investigator Dr. Sabrina Sawlani, a primary care sports medicine physician, team physician for UCLA women’s basketball, and assistant clinical professor at UCLA Health. “We want to understand what athletes are experiencing and make it easier for them to tell us how and when they need support.
“Our goal is for these findings to inform screening, education, and clinical care, while identifying practical opportunities — such as better access to appropriate breast support — to help athletes participate comfortably and confidently,” Sawlani continued.
UCLA faculty co-investigators for the study include Dr. Kimberly Burbank, Dr. Emily Miller and Dr. Aurelia Nattiv. UCLA Health will serve as the coordinating institution for the study, known as the Women in Sport Health Study, or WiSH. Partnering institutions include the University of Washington, the University of Colorado, St. John’s University in collaboration with Hospital for Special Surgery, and Portland State University in collaboration with Oregon Health & Science University. Each co-investigator and site lead is a graduate of UCLA’s primary care sports medicine fellowship program.
The funded study period is scheduled for April 1, 2027 through March 31, 2028, with preparatory work and regulatory submissions currently underway. In summer 2027, a select group of student-athletes and a multidisciplinary expert panel will review and help refine the questionnaire to ensure that its questions are relevant, understandable and reflective of athletes’ experiences. Multisite recruitment and survey data collection are planned for August through December 2027.
The study is supported by a $50,000 research grant from the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine Foundation.
