Periods In Space: How Female Astronauts Deal With Periods

Spread the love

Varsha Jain, a space gynecologist and visiting researcher at the Center of Human & Aerospace Physiological Sciences, King’s College London, explains in her research how it is like for female astronauts to experience a menstrual cycle in space. While the human body goes through numerous changes in space, Varsha was surprised to learn that female menstrual cycles don’t change though.

“Studies have shown that women can have periods as normally in space as they do on Earth. What’s more, menstrual blood flow isn’t actually affected by the weightlessness we experience in space, so it doesn’t float back in – the body knows it needs to get rid of it”.

Women and their periods in space were once used as an argument that women shouldn’t be astronauts. When Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983, tampons and sanitary napkins were never part of that process. But since then women have been living and working in space for decades now, and with no issues. That’s also because all available data on periods in space pertain to short-duration missions.

The Challenges

While periods may not hinder an astronaut’s ability, it may not be a very pleasant thing to deal with in space. Also, when astronauts undertake longer missions, how many tampons or pads a woman can carry onboard can be a huge problem given the issue of weight and cargo space that these may occupy. Carrying a three-year supply of birth control pills onboard doesn’t sound practical either.

With limited resources and water supplies, menstruating may not be a very pleasant experience. Also, not all waste disposal systems in space are designed to handle menstrual blood, as the toilet system is connected to the water reclamation system (which recycles urine into drinking water), solid waste is distributed in a cylindrical container which is then exposed to vacuum to dry the waste. Unwanted liquid waste is vented to space, hence menstrual cups may not serve the purpose not to forget the constraints for its insertion and removal. For the longest time, NASA has been inviting new ideas to facilitate recycling in space.

So what are the other options?

With these issues, most female astronauts turn to the oral contraceptives or hormone pills which may help them skip or suppress their period.

According to Varsha’s research, “The oral progesterone pill is the most popular option. The second option is an IUD (intrauterine device), which is inserted into the uterus by a doctor and can safely last for three to five years. Subdermal implants are another option, and are safe to use for up to three years. Last is the Depo-Provera, a hormone injection similar to progesterone. It must be administered once every 12 weeks, and can be safely used for two to three years.”

According to Florida’s Gynaecologist, Dr. Kristin Jackson, the best methods for suppression are either the pill or the IUD.

“It’s completely safe for women to skip their periods. Every woman is different, but some methods are more reliable than others.” However, the most reliable methods aren’t always the safest as she points out with the depo shot.

Varsha agrees. “Studies of women in the military have shown that many would like to suppress their menstrual flow during deployment, so it’s not a stretch to assume astronauts want to do the same”.

Spread the love

A little self-care goes a long way. It’s important to take care of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. However, we are so caught up in life’s rigmarole that we often forget to take a moment to sit down to catch up on things for ourselves. Experts say that a routine for skincare like an easy face mask can help to be more confident and also makes others respect us more because when we learn to respect ourselves, others follow suit.

In today’s fast-paced life, this can become rather challenging. Sometimes, we tend to neglect ourselves and all the stress shows on our faces as dull skin or limp hair. Here are some DIY mask ideas for face, hair, and feet with easy ingredients available in every kitchen to help rejuvenate effortlessly without an expensive parlour trip.

FACE MASK (for face, neck and arms)

Gram flour 4 tbsp
Milk 2 tbsp
Few strands of saffron, optional
Rose water- I tbsp, optional
Turmeric- ½ tsp
Lime- 1 tbsp
Honey- 1 tbsp
Vitamin E capsule (optional, available at any pharmacy)

Mix the above ingredients to achieve a paste like consistency. Add milk if thick. Add more gram flour if it’s too runny. Apply the paste to your face, neck and arms. Let it dry. Once dry, apply water to wet it. Rub in circular motion to loosen it up and wash it away with only water. Do not use soap after washing this to clean your face. This mask can be used for normal skin. If skin is too dry, avoid lime. For very oily skin, substitute milk with curd.

HAIR MASK

Fermented Rice water- 1 cup, approximately
Flax seed powder- 1 tbsp
Methi seeds- 1 tp
Coconut oil- 3 tbsp

Heat the coconut oil (virgin cold pressed preferably or any hair oil). Soak a teaspoon of fenugreek seeds in the warm oil and leave it overnight. Save the rice water drained from cooking everyday rice and let it ferment overnight. You can refrigerate this fermented rice water for use for up to two days. Mix a spoonful of flax seed powder with few spoons of rice water to make a paste for your hair length. Add the strained coconut oil to it.

Apply it on your hair evenly, lengthwise. For longer hair you can increase the amount of coconut oil and flax seed powder, use rice water to adjust the paste consistency. Leave this for an hour before shampooing. This helps for frizz control and gives shine and volume to hair. For extremely dry hair, substitute coconut oil with olive oil. For oily hair, add the juice of a lemon to the paste. This mask works as a pre-shampoo conditioner.

FOOT MASK

Gram flour or rice flour- 2 tbsp
Rock Salt/ Himalayan salt/ Epsom salt- 1 tp
Baking Soda- ½ tp
Lime – 1 tbsp
Green tea leaves- 1 tp

Mix all the ingredients to make a paste. Adjust consistency with water. Apply on the feet and leave it to dry. Wrap a cling film if possible to avoid it from falling. Once the mask is dry, apply a little water to wet the pack and rub in circular motion with a pumice stone. Wash it clean with water. The green tea helps as an antioxidant to pull out toxins. The baking soda and lime help to remove odour and dry flaky skin. Gram flour serves as a scrub to remove dead and rough skin. The salt helps to relax tired and achy feet. Moisturize your feet overnight with coconut oil or any moisturizing cream.