Several sportswomen have raised the issue, including tennis player Heather Watson who blamed "girl things" on her exit from the 2015 Australian Open.
Dr Richard Burden, senior physiologist at the English Institute of Sport, told the BBC in January that menstrual cycle research in sport was "limited".
The new study has been conducted by two London universities.
The Female Athlete Health Group - a collaborative project between St Mary's University and University College London - worked on two surveys, including one of London Marathon competitors.
Of the 1,862 women surveyed, including 90 who were considered elite level, 41.7% said their menstrual cycle affected their performance.
Nearly 44% met the criteria for heavy menstrual bleeding, but only 22.3% had sought help for period problems.
PhD student Georgie Bruinvels, who is leading the study, told BBC Sport: "We feel like there are many unanswered questions when it comes to periods in sport.
"As a female athlete myself, I can see how much it impacts. So many elite coaches are male and it's hard for them to understand.
"It's this big taboo. I found that awareness is so poor and people don't know anything about it.
"By doing this research, we hope to raise more awareness and to encourage further examination of the subject."
Bruinvels is using crowdfunding to aid the next stage of her research, which will focus on heavy menstrual bleeding and the possible increase of iron deficiency.
A research group is hoping to increase awareness of the "taboo" subject of period problems in sport.