Cate Campbell says irregular periods almost ended her career and left her with permanent damage

Cate Campbell was left with permanent damage to her body when she tried to take control of her menstrual cycle. She wants more to be done for female athletes.

Four-time Olympic swimmer Cate Campbell has revealed her career was almost ended by her periods and she was left with permanent nerve damage as she searched for a solution to manage her menstrual cycles.

Having experienced relentless fluctuations in her weight and “patchy” periods that significantly impacted her performance, the 31-year-old opened up on the damage inflicted on her body as she looks to break down the taboo of women discussing their monthly cycles.

With an underwhelming amount of research on the topic available to athletes, Campbell has warned that what works for one woman may have devastating impacts on others.

When the contraceptive pill caused Campbell to gain five kilos “and feel foggy”, she turned to her swimming peers who recommended a progesterone-only bar that sits inside the arm.

She was implanted in 2018 but when it produced no viable solution, Campbell opted to have it removed by her GP, it was here that her life took a turn.

Owing to her low body fat percentage, Campbell’s bar had been implanted right against her muscle instead of the fat layer between muscle and skin.

Cate Campbell shared images of her injuries on social media

“[My GP] didn’t know this at the time, so she could feel it and she was trying to dig around for it,” Campbell said.

“It’s not something I’ve ever really spoken about but it quite literally could have ended my career. It’s actually had a real impact on me.

“I wanted to look at how I could manage my periods because I didn’t want to race when I had my period and I tried to explore a few options.

The botched retrieval caused permanent nerve damage and meant she was forced to undergo surgery.

Shocking images shared to Campbell’s social media show severe bruising as a result of the procedure.

“In 2018, I suffered a near career-ending injury, partly because discussions around periods and female health problems were taboo,” she wrote in the caption. “Fortunately, this is changing - but there is still a long way to go.”

Campbell wants more discussion and resources available to female athletes

Campbell, who will attempt to compete at a record-breaking fifth Olympics in Paris next year, has long spoken of her desire to see more resources and research dedicated to women’s health – particularly menstrual cycles.

“I have permanent nerve damage down the right side of my arm, so it potentially could have ended my swimming career, not having access to a good female health referral network in sport.

“I have a strange sensation in my pinkie finger and through my palm during times where I’m in very heavy training load that can turn to tingling and numbness.

“It’s so important to talk about female health and talk about the things that we have to go through and how that impacts us.

“There was no expert I could turn to throughout the course. There was no referral system.”

“[We need] more open discussion about periods and hormones and female health on the pool deck, just something that’s normalised.”