It appears **League of Legends** enthusiasts consistently focus on the reality of women’s menstrual cycles. A recent incident involved a purported coach asserting that he monitors his co-player’s cycle to gauge optimal performance times.
Within the contentious, and presumably humorous, social media update, Tony Chau presented an analysis of performance data from 147 competitive matches. From this gathered information, Chau deduced that his partner, yuulu, exhibits superior gameplay when she is not experiencing menstruation.
He posted on Twitter, stating, “Monitoring the menstrual rhythms of your League co-players can result in higher victory percentages.” He added, “We aren’t merely engaging in League; we are aligning our League play with her hormonal patterns.”
His purported statistics indicated that yuulu maintains an overall win rate of 55.1%, which reportedly drops to 52% during her menstrual phase and ascends to 57.5% during other times.
A League of Legends Instructor Focuses Excessively on His Female Teammate’s Menstrual Cycle
Although yuulu responded playfully to the peculiar social media post, to external observers, it appears intrusive and laden with detrimental stereotypes. Despite Chau’s assertion that his aim is purely data collection for tactical advantage, the discourse comes across as somewhat prejudiced, especially considering this subject has surprisingly surfaced previously.
The term “surprisingly” is used because it prompts the question: why are male League of Legends participants repeatedly discussing this particular issue?
In September 2025, Gabriel “Bwipo” Rau, a top laner for **FlyQuest**, faced a suspension from several matches following an on-stream monologue concerning female menstrual cycles. Rather than exploring how menstruation might influence aggressive play, he directly asserted that it renders women incapable of participating effectively at a professional tier.
During a Twitch broadcast, Bwipo considered it suitable and commonplace to address women’s periods and their purported impact on their inability to perform League of Legends in competitive settings. He highlighted the supposed lack of female support in esports, implying that no one designs tournament schedules accounting for their menstrual cycles.
FlyQuest, an organization fielding an all-female League of Legends squad, deemed these remarks to be “unethical” and contrary to their foundational principles. The organization further stated that such comments could deter women from “realizing their aspiration of becoming a professional player.”
This perspective resonated with many across the esports community, who noted the peril in such discourse regarding women’s menstrual cycles, as it frequently serves as a justification to exclude women from other male-dominated professions and recreational pursuits.
Esports figure **Eefje “Sjokz” Depoortere** highlighted in a TikTok video: “Women, while menstruating, experiencing bleeding, severe discomfort, and profound fatigue, nonetheless achieve Olympic benchmarks, complete demanding 24-hour nursing shifts, support four children, attend to seniors, hold executive roles in major corporations, and practice law! Yet, a round of League of Legends? That’s where we draw the line!”
A lack of comprehension regarding female physiology in the current decade of the 2020s is notably troubling. It is the persistent disregard for women and the perpetuation of prejudiced perspectives, instead of simply *inquiring* about women’s personal experiences and valuing their responses, that consistently fosters such unwelcoming atmospheres in esports and analogous male-dominated domains.
Chau’s peculiar fixation on tracking his co-player’s menstrual cycle, while not as deeply entrenched in overt sexism, nonetheless draws attention to unfavorable clichés linked to female menstruation. A particular comment even remarked: “Bwipo had it right from the beginning.”
Regardless of whether it was intended as a jest, the assertion that women become volatile and unmanageable during their menstrual cycles is detrimental. While some reactions highlighted the ridiculousness of the original post humorously, and even suggested a genuine study on the topic for performance and strategic enhancements, others capitalized on the moment to proliferate further misogynistic discourse, emboldened by Chau’s commentary.
One peculiar individual on X commented, “This contributes to why men possess an advantage in esports. It’s not about transphobia; it’s not misogyny. These are biological processes that affect mental readiness, potentially causing cognitive haziness and elevated neurotic tendencies.”
Initially, it might seem like an inconsequential tweet, yet it undeniably intensifies the prevailing sexism within the esports arena. Personally, I find it discomforting, particularly observing women who perceive it as innocent entertainment. Nevertheless, I am not an enforcer of League of Legends conduct, and I cannot demand universal comprehension of complexity, subtlety, and multifaceted scenarios. Hence, the menstrual cycle tweet is perceived as strange and amusing.
The article “Menstrual cycles resurface in esports discussions as League of Legends coach asserts tracking his co-player’s cycle” initially appeared on Esports Insider.
