Focus on female athletes: New WVL joint project ‘Athletin-D’ launches nationwide

How does the menstrual cycle influence training, health, and athletic performance in elite female athletes? And how can female athletes be better supported in the future? These are among the key questions addressed by the new collaborative research project “Athletin-D”, which is funded by the German Federal Institute of Sport Science (BISp) as part of the Scientific Network for Elite Sport (WVL). The four-year project will run from 2026 to 2030 with a total funding volume of €1.6 million. Of this amount, €253,000 will be allocated to the Department Health and Sport Sciences.

One of the principal applicants is Prof. Dr. Karsten Köhler, head of the Associate Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health. Together with researchers from sports medicine, movement science, and sport psychology at universities in Bochum, Wuppertal, and Freiburg, he will develop new evidence-based approaches over the next four years to advance training management and healthcare for female athletes in Olympic and Paralympic elite sport. The proposal successfully competed in a highly competitive BISp funding call entitled “Female Athletes Between Performance Optimization and Health Preservation”.

Understanding Sex-Specific Characteristics

Although women account for a large proportion of Germany’s international sporting successes, significant knowledge gaps remain in many areas of elite sport. Numerous training and health concepts are still primarily based on data collected from male athletes.

“There is still considerably more research on men than on women,” explains Prof. Köhler. “That is why we want to systematically investigate the sex-specific characteristics of female athletes in order to better understand them.”

A particular focus of the project is the menstrual cycle and its potential impact on training management, performance development, and health. Other topics, such as hormonal contraception and menstrual disturbances resulting from low energy availability, will also be examined in greater detail.

“We know that the menstrual cycle can affect health and performance in many different ways. At the same time, we see that athletes respond very differently on an individual level,” says Dr. Paulina Braunsperger-Wasserfurth, research associate at the Associate Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health and co-applicant of the project. “That is both the challenge and the great potential of this research.”

Bringing Science and Practice Together

A key feature of the project is its close collaboration with stakeholders from elite sport. More than 20 Olympic sports federations, Olympic training centers, and national and international partner organizations have already pledged their support.

During the first phase of the project, the research team will analyze existing scientific evidence and current practical approaches. Based on these findings, researchers will work together with athletes, coaches, and healthcare professionals to develop solutions that can be effectively implemented in everyday elite sport settings.

“There is little value in developing scientific concepts that are never used in practice,” emphasizes nutrition scientist Köhler. “That is why we are engaging with experts and athletes from the very beginning, ensuring that the solutions we develop are relevant and applicable in real-world sport environments.”

Cycle Monitoring and Individualized Support

One of the project's central goals is the development of a freely accessible and customizable menstrual cycle monitoring system. The tool is intended to be integrated into existing athlete monitoring systems and help female athletes connect cycle-related information with training and health data.

In the long term, this approach will enable training and health strategies to be tailored more closely to the individual needs of female athletes. At the same time, the project aims to support the early identification of potential health risks.

“We do not want to create yet another system that places additional demands on athletes,” says Köhler. “Instead, athletes should benefit directly from it—for example through better information to support training, health, and recovery.”

Advancing Knowledge in Women’s Elite Sport

Overall, Athletin-D aims to accelerate the transfer of scientific knowledge into practice while addressing existing research gaps. The findings are expected to contribute to concrete recommendations for German elite sport even before the project officially concludes.

“The most important thing is that we start talking about this topic based on knowledge rather than assumptions,” concludes Prof. Köhler. “There are still many misconceptions and half-truths. Our goal is to generate robust data and derive practical solutions that genuinely help female athletes and the people who support them.”

To the Homepage of the Associate Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health
To the Press Release of the “Athletin-D” Collaborative Research Project

Contact

Prof. Dr. Karsten Köhler
Associate Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health
Am Olympiacampus 11
80809 Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 289 24488
E-mail: karsten.koehler(at)tum.de

Dr. Paulina Braunsperger-Wasserfurth
Associate Professorship of Exercise, Nutrition and Health
Am Olympiacampus 11
80809 Munich, Germany
Phone: +49 89 289 24488
E-mail: paulina.wasserfurth@tum.de

Text: Bastian Daneyko
Photos: TUM | Heddergott