Kana Oyama, a former member of the Japanese women’s national volleyball team, called on high school students and teachers to gain a better understanding of how female athletes should deal with menstruation, in a lecture late last month.
Oyama was visiting her alma mater, Shimokitazawa Seitoku Senior High School in Tokyo, as part of the “1252 Project” educational program regarding menstrual issues faced by female athletes. The school placed second in a national high school volleyball tournament last month.
In her first-ever stint as a lecturer for the project, Oyama used quizzes and question-and-answer sessions to explain premenstrual syndrome, which can cause symptoms such as stomach pain, lower back pain and mood changes, as well as about amenorrhea and osteoporosis caused by inadequate nutrition.
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