Female astronauts on dealing with their period in space

To "hold" their menstrual periods before and during missions, female astronauts often use birth control pills, sometimes up to more than 1,000 pills.

More than 50 years ago, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman in space. Since then, nearly 60 female astronauts have followed in her footsteps. They face a host of challenges, one of which is how to manage their periods.

"When women first went into space, this wasn't a concern," Varsha Jain, a gynecologist and researcher at King's College London, told CNN. In fact, while most systems in the human body are severely affected, a woman's menstrual cycle hardly changes when she's in space. "It's probably normal," Jain said.

Astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. Photo: CNN.

According to the doctor, some waste treatment equipment on the International Space Station can handle human blood but was not created for that purpose. In addition, bringing hygiene products is not easy.

A NASA spokesperson revealed that astronauts are allowed to consult with doctors privately to find ways to handle their physiological needs. However, most women do not want to deal with their "red days" and use birth control pills to "hold" their menstruation before and during the flight.

For trips lasting several years, such as to Mars, the number of birth control pills taken by female astronauts can reach 1,100. There were concerns that this would lead to health problems such as blood clots, but evidence suggests that risks have never appeared. "No one has had any problems," said Virginia Wotring of the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine in the US. She also emphasized that blood does not flow backward when women menstruate in space.

On the other hand, taking birth control pills may provide some benefits when astronauts return to Earth. Estrogen in birth control pills will limit the loss of bone mineral density due to weight loss. However, this effect will be lost if the pills are taken too often.

Understanding that research on female astronaut health is still limited, Wotring said she will continue to dig deeper and hopes that one day, women will no longer worry about their period no matter where they are in the vast universe.

According to VNE