PURPOSE: Athletes undertake regular medical screenings as part of their participation in high performance sport. Many of the questions that are asked of athletes, are centred around risk management and stratification, however most questions have minimal impact on optimisation of health in the daily training environment and future health. The purpose of this survey was to elicit athlete perspectives on current medical screenings, periodic health evaluation and their own perceived health needs, from women athletes in the Australian High Performance Sport setting, particularly as they relate to female specific health outcomes. 

 

METHODS: Australian High-Performance female athletes (n=58, ages 17-44) were recruited to respond to an anonymous online survey. which had been previously tested for test-retest reliability. 49 respondents had competed at National Championships or above, with 38 having performed at World Championships or World Cup and 17 at a Summer Olympic or Paralympic Games. All athletes had completed a sport related medical screening (SRMS) in the preceding two years and were asked questions relating to past SRMS including female athlete specific health topics and relevance to the sporting setting, as well as information around their preference for who and how this information is asked, as well as what information they feel is most important asked and educated on around female health domains.  

RESULTS: 81% believe there were female athlete specific health and well-being concerns that were not currently being addressed by their sport (>50% reported inadequate sexual and reproductive health, pelvic floor health, breast health, fertility, preventative health). 82% would like a Sport and Exercise Medicine Physician (SEMP) to complete their SRMS should they be able to choose between a SEMP and GP. 55% would like to be able to choose the gender of the medical practitioner completing their screening and would choose a female practitioner with the remaining 44% having no preference. 93% had never received advice or education around breast support/bra fit for sport/exercise, 10% had ever been given advice around breast self -examination during a SRMS, however 94% felt it was important to be given this advice. Fertility, sexual and reproductive health, pregnancy, nutrition, fertility, and bone health were all topics that most respondents wanted more focus on in the high-performance setting. 

 

CONCLUSION: Proactive health care should be an important component of athlete health, however current SRMS often fail to consider specific female athlete health concerns, nor does current resourcing always allow for choice of providers to carry out SRMS. Women athletes want more advice and education around specific health concerns and want to be able to choose the provider that performs these screenings. Data from this survey and those similar, can and must be considered for future proactive SRMS development and resourcing, if female health outcomes are to be optimised in the short and longer term.