NRLW star Tiana Penitani working to break sport taboo of female athletes and periods

Eels star Tiana Penitani is tackling the taboo topic of menstrual cycles head on and has joined forces with a new initiative to help raise awareness and spark change.

NRLW Parramatta Eels player Tiana Penitani

From skipping her period to play football to fearing she would go viral after leaking during a game, Parramatta star Tiana Penitani wants to tackle the taboo topic of menstrual cycles head on.

Menstrual cycles have gone from being the last taboo to the new frontier in women’s sport.

The NRLW, in conjunction with the Australian Institute of Sport, are studying menstrual cycles and how the use of hormonal contraceptives impact female performance.

It’s a far cry from the days Penitani thought her only option was to stop her period to take the field.

“All of us as professional athletes ended up going on the pill, skipping our periods around the time we were competing,” Penitani said.

Tiana Penitani believes more investment is needed to help educate and inform the athletes in the NRLW about the topic. Picture: Ashley Feder/Getty Images

“This was all before the education that you’re actually strongest while you’re on your period.

“So once we learned more and had the data we were then using our period as our strength and training heavily around our cycle to use the benefit of what your body is going through.”

But armed with more knowledge than ever before, Penitani does not only feel confident enough to make the right decision for her body but willing to confront the daunting realities of being a female athlete.

“I leaked through my playing uniform when I was playing for Australia,” Penitani said.

“It was a really wet, rainy tournament. Everything was just gross, I ended up leaking through my shorts. But I’m lucky the cameras weren’t on us in that awkward moment.

“Even then, it was so daunting and uncomfortable, you never know what goes viral these days. Being vulnerable in that sense was really intimidating.”

While the NRL has joined forces with the AIS to study menstrual cycles, Penitani believes more investment is needed to support the current cohort of NRLW players in this space.

NRLW star Tiana Penitani wearing Puma and Modibodi’s new leak-proof activewear.

“I would say not through the lack of trying, it’s a very new space in the NRLW … but all of my knowledge came from Rugby Australia and rugby 7’s program,” Penitani said.

“But being part of rugby league now, I know there are sports scientists at the top level, the Jillaroos level. We had our sport scientist give us lectures around contraception and training around your period.

“But I can say at NRLW level, there are none of those conversations and that’s due to a lack of resources in that area.

“They do want more information on us so they can gather some data but it’s a very new topic in rugby league.

“There is so much potential in that space, if we can deep dive into that area, especially from a performance perspective.”

Having gone through the ups and downs of managing her menstrual cycle, Penitani, a Puma athlete, is taking her experiences to the next generation of young female sports stars through an initiative called Period Pep Talk.

As part of the campaign Puma and Modibodi have designed a leak-proof activewear collection.

Tiana Penitani is part on an initiative called Period Pep Talk. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

A recent study by the partnering organisations showed one in two girls skipped playing sport because of their period out of the shame and fear of leaks.

“It’s really sad to think we lose 50 per cent of our potential athletes due to the fact they are uncomfortable with their periods,” Penitani said.

“It comes down to pure discomfort, feeling sluggish and feeling lethargic and feeling gross when you are wearing pads and tampons.

“Feeling sweaty and sticky, just all of those uncomfortable feelings and if we can create support and normality about being active and having your period, we could really change the world of sport and young minds, to not let that inhibit them.”

As well as tackling menstrual cycles, Penitani is part of a vocal group of NRLW stars advocating for improved pay conditions in the new CBA deal.

Female players scored a significant win on Wednesday after it was confirmed Jillaroos players will earn at least $30,000 for taking part in the Rugby League World Cup next month.

“We’ve been talking for years about the full-time commitment the players make without the full-time remuneration. It’s a step in the right direction,” Penitani said.

“They are spending six to eight weeks to play in the Australian jersey, I think it is only fair they got a pay increase from the last world cup.”

The new CBA is expected to deliver a huge boost to the current minimum wage of around $10,000. Penitani is hoping pay condition improve in line with the AFLW, where the average wage is now just under $40,000, and an improved maternity policy.