Module: The Active Female: Through the Lifespan

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	The Active Female: Through the Lifespan
Module Code	HEA1059
Faculty	Health & Human Performance	School	Science & Health
NFQ level	9	Credit Rating	10

Description

This module is offered as a microcredential and can contribute to the Graduate Certificate in Women's Health (Sport and Exercise). This module will cover the significant physiological events that can occur throughout the female lifespan, from the teenager to post-menopause. The module will provide an insight into the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postnatal and menopause discussing clinically applicable physiology and demands and how each stage impacts rehabilitation and exercise in the active female.

Learning Outcomes

1. Discuss how pelvic floor considerations and rehabilitation may differ according to significant life stages within the active female.
2. Detail the key function of female reproductive endocrinology and appraise how this applies to physical activity.
3. Critically evaluate how pregnancy needs to be considered in the active female for optimal maternal and fetal outcomes.
4. Ascertain how the postnatal period impacts the active female including timelines of recovery and delivery type.
5. Explain the process of the menopause and ascertain the impact within the active female.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	24	Online lectures
Tutorial	12	Online tutorial
Directed learning	24	Directed learning tasks
Independent Study	190	Independent study and independent self-reflection
Total Workload: 250

Section Breakdown
CRN	11850	Part of Term	Semester 1 & 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Deirdre Phelan	Module Teacher	Helen Keeble

Section Breakdown
CRN	12064	Part of Term	Semester 1 & 2
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Helen Keeble	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Digital Project	Tell it straight video. Students will be asked to pick a key concept within the active female throughout the lifespan content area. They will then create a tell it straight video explaining this concept with a real-world and applied focus. The video will be 3 minutes and must be in plain-language and focused for a particular active female cohort. Students will be encouraged to develop engaging, creative and visually dynamic videos.	40%	Once per semester
Loop Quiz	Loop MCQ. Students will complete every two weeks an MCQ on loop that requires them to demonstrate their knowledge and applied understanding related to the active female across the lifespan. The questions will be applied to clinical and professional practice and reflect the challenges faced by clinicians and professionals within the sporting and exercise field related to the active female across the lifespan.	60%	Every Second Week

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

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Indicative Reading List

Books:

Diane Lee,Linda-Joy Lee,Andry Vleeming: 2010, The Pelvic Girdle, Churchill Livingstone, 434, 0443069638
Jacky Forsyth, Claire-Marie Roberts: 2021, The Exercising Female Science and Its Application, 1st, Routledge, 304,

Articles:

NICE Guidelines: 2021, NICE Guidelines: Antenatal Care., https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng201/resources/antenatal-care-pdf-66143709695941, 65952
2021: Nice Guidelines: Postnatal Care, https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng194/resources/postnatal-care-pdf-66142082148037, 65953, 1
Menopause: diagnosis and management: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23/resources/menopause-diagnosis-and-management-pdf-1837330217413, 65954, 1, G. Donnelly E. Brockwell T. Goom
Physiotherapy: 107, https://www.physiotherapyjournal.com/article/S0031-9406(20)30298-4/fulltext, 65955, 1, Chidi-Ogbolu & Baar, 2019
9: 1837, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6341375/, 65956, 2, Charlotte Ganderton, Adam Semciw, Jill Cook, Tania Pizzari, 2016, Does menopausal hormone therapy (MHT), exercise or a combination of both, improve pain and function in post-menopausal women with greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS)? A randomised controlled trial.
32: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27312538/,

Other Resources

None