The Long Game: Presented by CVS Health - Episode 1

Sam Mewis (0:00)

You're listening to the MIB Media Network, and this is The Women's Game.

Allie Riley (0:04)

I just dreaded getting my period.

Claire Emsley (0:05)

I did not want to have a baby when I was playing soccer.

SPEAKER_4 (0:09)

I had zero experts in my life returning after giving birth to my first child, zero.

Sam Mewis (0:17)

Periods, pregnancy planning, and return to play, three huge factors that impact women in sports. But it feels like we don't always know enough about our own bodies.

SPEAKER_4 (0:27)

I did not know placenta was even a thing until I had to birth a placenta after I had Jeremiah. I'm like, I have to do what?

Allie Riley (0:35)

I wish that I had had that visibility or heard someone besides the other girls trying to figure it out themselves.

Sam Mewis (0:43)

Women athletes are conditioned to keep quiet about what goes on with our bodies. Our periods, our desires to have or not have children, our infertility, our pregnancy, and our pain are all things that can make us feel alone.

Emma Brockwell (0:56)

We don't teach girls the proper names of their female anatomy, so how do we expect for them to advocate for themselves?

Dawn Scott (1:05)

Sometimes female players are almost criticized for asking questions.

Georgie Bruenvelz (1:09)

It really crescendoed with this, like, oh my goodness, no one really knows anything about their body as a female, and this is crazy.

Sam Mewis (1:16)

Professional women athletes reach peak performance and peak fertility at the same time. So when do they plan a pregnancy?

Claire Emsley (1:23)

If I want kids to retire early, do we start freezing eggs?

Ashley Hatch (1:28)

I didn't think I would be able to have kids while I was playing because I didn't know how long I'd be playing.

Sam Mewis (1:32)

Does the professional sports industry have empathy and adequate resources for women about any of this?

Kaylin Sheridan (1:39)

My first question to the people at San Diego were like, do you have a fertility like connection? Do you have partnerships?

Kara Odom-Walker (1:46)

I've seen people get pregnant and then the next year they get cut from a team.

Sam Mewis (1:50)

Throughout three episodes, we will learn how the menstrual cycle can impact performance, where the gaps are in female health care and education, and how athletes are navigating family planning, pregnancy and returning to play.

Kaylin Sheridan (2:02)

This could be a thing. We can do both. I'm going to do it. I want it. I want both.

Sam Mewis (2:11)

This is The Long Game, a women's health series presented by CVS Health brought to you by The Women's Game.

Hi, everyone. I'm Sam Mewis. You might know me from my soccer playing days with the US Women's National Team and in the NWSL, or from my current job in women's soccer media. Or this could be your first time getting to know me, and let me tell you right now, we're about to get really close. This series is diving deep into some of the most personal stories about the menstrual cycle, pelvic health, fertility, pregnancy and return to play as a professional athlete. We're going to hear from soccer players and experts who will share their own experiences and answer some of our biggest questions. Our aim is to drive meaningful conversation and highlight the resilience of female athletes in navigating their health needs while staying at the top of their game.

Many of our guests are from the world of professional women's soccer, but I have a feeling that women everywhere are going to be nodding along throughout these episodes. You don't need to be a professional athlete to understand what it feels like to get period cramps at a bad time, to not understand your own fertility, or to have to tell your boss you're pregnant. So much of what we're speaking about is universal.

Growing up, I had a pretty positive relationship with my own body. I was tall and athletic, and my body could do amazing things. Run fast, jump high, kick a soccer ball really hard. Sports, and specifically soccer, was so important to me, and I knew that if I took good care of my body, I could be really good. Hitting puberty and getting my period was a bizarre experience, because for the first time, I felt like things were happening outside of my control. I went through a crazy growth spurt, got really gangly, I suffered some injuries, and I just felt less confident in my body. The time that kids really commit to playing sports and trying to be great athletes is coincidentally right around the time they start to feel weird in their own bodies. And that's where I want to start this conversation. So, I asked a few athletes about their experiences, getting their first period, starting with Claire Emsley, Angel City and Scottish National Team Forward.