A new world-first report has revealed that periods are a significant and largely overlooked barrier preventing people with disability from fully participating in sport, prompting urgent calls for coordinated action across government, sport, and disability sectors.
The report, Powering Participation: Insights on menstruation support needed for people with disability in sport, led by Share the Dignity in partnership with Victoria University, draws on the experiences of 273 Australians aged 15 to 53.
Australia’s largest menstrual equity not-for-profit Share the Dignity, famous as the force behind the removal of GST on period products in 2019, embarked on the research following findings from their Bloody Big Survey that women of all abilities saw their period as a major barrier to participation in sport.
Share the Dignity founder and managing director Rochelle Courtenay said the survey is the first in Australia to give a voice to people with different abilities sharing their experiences relating to the barriers they face around menstruation and sport.
“Two-thirds of our respondents, 67%, told us they skipped sport because of their period, with many of them telling us there just aren’t the appropriate products or facilities for them. Another third let us know they missed out on sport specifically due not having the period products they need,”
“Australia is a sporting nation, we’re all about a fair go, and I think everyone can agree in 2026 no person should be missing out the joy and community of sport because they don’t have access to period products, including people with disabilities,” she said.
Following the publication of the report, Share the Dignity has launched first-of-its-kind educational foundations guide addressing the intersection of sports, periods, and disability.
Ms Courtenay said the new resources aim to address the knowledge gap, with more than half of the respondents in the study expressing the need for better information on how menstruation interacts with their disability and affects sports performance.
“Only one in 10 people with disability have ever been given information about managing their period in sport and our education guide is here to change that,”
“Anxiety is a huge barrier that was raised in the report, be it anxiety about getting your period during sport or anxiety about letting coaches and teammates know you’re on your period, the lack of information out there has created huge barriers and discomfort,”
“By having information for coaches, information for young people and information for clubs we want to equip everyone with the skills to be able to provide inclusive support,” she said.
The report’s findings highlight systemic gaps in access, education, facilities, and support across Australia, with Share the Dignity imploring clubs and codes to get on board with the Bloody Good Sport pledge.
Bloody Good Sport champions menstrual equity across Australia by ensuring players at all levels and ages have access to products, education, and inclusive club environments.
