Endometriosis in Women’s Sport

Leah Williamson in training with Renee Slegers. Photo: Arsenal FC

Endometriosis is a painful condition that affects roughly 1 in 10 women, so it’s no surprise that it affects many sportswomen too.

Many female athletes, including Leah Williamson and Monique Murphy, state that the condition has a profound affect on their lives – and their sporting careers.

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in places outside of it such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. It causes symptoms such as extremely painful periods, fatigue and can even lead to mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Many women and otherwise identifying people with these body parts suffer daily from these adverse effects, and it can have a huge impact on professional athletes’ abilities to play their sports.

Leah Williamson

One of the most famous sportswomen with endometriosis is Leah Williamson. The Arsenal and England defender was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2021 but has struggled with the intense pain that it causes, throughout her football career.

In an interview for Women’s Health Magazine, Williamson said that an endometriosis flare up is ‘a big fear when you get to a tournament’ because the pain could potentially prevent you from playing.

During the Euros in 2022 Williamson’s endometriosis was a big concern for her, and she even admitted that she feared missing games due to it. Thankfully she was able to overcome her struggle and be part of England Women’s first winning Euros team.

Other sportswomen with endometriosis

Emma Hayes and Monique Murphy are two other women in sport who have been diagnosed with endometriosis and felt the effects of it on their sporting careers.

Emma Hayes, manager of Chelsea Women’s Football Club from 2012 to 2024, had to take time away from the club to recover from an emergency hysterectomy.

Hayes described this as being part of her ‘ongoing battle with endometriosis’ and that she needs to take the time to 'prioritise her health' over the game.

Monique Murphy, a paralympic swimmer who lost her leg when falling from a fifth-floor balcony, has said that the pain of endometriosis is worse than losing her leg. On Instagram Murphy talked about the struggle to be diagnosed with the condition, saying that ‘frustrating is an understatement’ for what she felt.

Hope for the Future

Overall endometriosis can be a frustrating and painful condition for those people that suffer from it, and when they are sports women this can have a huge impact on their career. In all sports this condition can mean missing matches, training, and the potential for surgeries that could take them away from the sport for long periods of time.

Like many other conditions that women suffer from endometriosis is also under researched and rarely acknowledged, but these brave sportswomen are fighting to change that, and to not let their condition prevent them from doing the sports they love.