Geva Mentor wants to have children, but, single and in the prime of her netball career, has been facing odds that are increasingly stacked against her. She recently went through an egg retrieval procedure in the hope of future proofing her dreams. Natalie Medhurst considers herself lucky. She had fertility issues, and after going through
Associate Professor Vinay Rane believes that the problem of infertility in female athletes is ‘endemic’. He says, “I’m finding it’s the rule rather than the exception, for physiological, medical, mental and logistic reasons. I’m treating women who want access to what is a fundamental human right, and I don’t believe our sporting systems are structured
Geva Mentor is investing in her future. Looking to a life after netball, she is studying to become a teacher, learning – along with other Suncorp Super Netball players – how to invest her pennies, and has recently been through an egg retrieval process. Using technology to preserve her fertility was a big, but considered,
It’s almost unbelievable to Natalie Medhurst, but at 36 and at the tail end of an elite netball career spanning 17 years, she is pregnant. Emotionally, she’s ‘excited, daunted, and everything in between,’ but most of all, she’s grateful. Facing fertility issues and struggling with the all-encompassing nature of elite sport, she wasn’t sure she’d
Talking to Sonia Mkoloma about her fertility is like hopping into the ring with Muhammad Ali and receiving gut-punches that leave you winded. She’s endured an unfathomable three miscarriages – one of them with twins – and had three embryos fail after implantation. It’s been a brutal process, but Sonia remains cautiously optimistic about having
In an age when most women have a pair of sneakers and at least one piece of lycra stashed in their wardrobe, it’s staggering to learn that just 15% of pregnant mums are reaching minimum exercise recommendations. April Brandley and Bec Bulley are two Australian netballers who continued exercising during their pregnancies. With a combination of good health care, support and planning, they were able to continue playing at the elite level in their first trimesters, and served as an inspiration to many along the way.
Standing at 167 centimetres, Lisa Alexander was usually a diminutive figure compared to the athletes she coached. In netball however, and for women’s sport more generally, she leaves behind a giant legacy. Following the announcement that her contract as the Australian Diamonds head coach was ending, Lisa spoke exclusively to Netball Scoop.
