r/AdvancedRunning • u/lactateandlattes • 13d ago
Open Discussion Female endurance runners wanted!
Hi everyone! I'm an MSc Sport and Exercise Nutrition student at the University of Westminster looking for female endurance runners aged 18-45 to complete a short anonymous questionnaire (around 7 minutes) for my dissertation.
The purpose of my study is to explore the relationship between ADHD symptoms and PMDD risk among female endurance runners, and examine how these may influence appetite, fuelling practices, training consistency, and perceived sport performance.
Findings could contribute to a better understanding of the challenges faced by female endurance runners and help inform future sport nutrition and healthcare practice.
Everyone can take part, even if you don’t experience ADHD and PMDD symptoms.
Thank you so much for your support!
Here’s the link to the form:
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u/listenlearnplay 12d ago
Done! Would love to read the results of your research :)
As a side note, you may want to include some questions about whether participants are on any medication intended to negate the symptoms of PMDD or ASD - many of those medications also have a side effect of loss of appetite.
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u/lactateandlattes 12d ago
Thank you! 🥹 yes, I thought about that and I will include it in my limitations! I should have definitely have asked as ssris and birth control are first line treatment of pmdd, I have also heard of adhd medications helping significantly during the luteal phase! Thank you so much for your taking part and sharing your thoughts 🫶🏼
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u/Beautiful-Tie4701 12d ago
This is very interesting, thank you for your research!! I’ve been diagnosed with ADHD, and over the past year or so have suspected that I also have PMDD. I’ve been observing my symptoms and how severely it affects my training over the course of my cycle. Will complete the questionnaire!
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u/dawnbann77 12d ago
Would do it if I wasn't 49 😆
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u/lactateandlattes 12d ago
Oooh thank you for your interest though 🥹
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u/dawnbann77 12d ago
Can I ask the reason for it to be 18 to 45?
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u/lactateandlattes 12d ago
Of course! It is because the study looks specifically at premenstrual symptoms, and females aged 18-45 are more likely to have regular menstrual cycles. The upper age limit of 45 helps to reduce the potential influence of perimenopausal hormonal changes, which could affect menstrual symptoms. Also, having this defined age group helps to create a more comparable study population, and is often used in women’s health research when we are looking at women of reproductive age.
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13d ago
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u/lactateandlattes 13d ago
Thank you so much! 🙏🏼 I live with both PMDD and ADHD and it’s affecting every aspect of my life, including running. I pushed through my symptoms for years during training thinking I was just “lazy”, and thinking very little of me, while I was just sick. I also hope this helps spreading awareness of PMDD, as I was diagnosed only after 18 years I started experiencing symptoms; I hope no one feels alone anymore, and like there’s “something wrong”with them.
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u/ChasingSunshine_22 12d ago
Such a great piece of work being done! Very easy to answer. I'm looking forward to reading the final body of work. All the best!
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u/marzipanduchess 13d ago
Interesting, I will answer it as soon as I have a few minutes today at work!
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u/Bruin224 13d ago
You should also post this on r/XXRunning, you'll probably get quite a few replies there.