Menstrual Suppression for Combat Operations: Advantages of Oral Contraceptive Pills

Powell-Dunford, Nicole; Cuda, Amanda S.; Moore, Jeffrey L.; Crago, Mark S.; Kelly, Amanda; Deuster, Patricia A.

doi:10.1016/j.whi.2010.08.006

Cited by 32 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 21 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Among those women who did not use COCs continuously, 35% had insufficient knowledge about menstrual suppression [19]. Another survey of female military personnel [20] showed that 66% desired menstrual suppression, although only 21% used COCs continuously [21].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Opinion and experience of Brazilian women regarding menstrual bleeding and use of combined oral contraceptives

Makuch¹,

Duarte-Osis²,

Pádua³

et al. 2012

Intl J Gynecology & Obste

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Another group of women who might benefit from the use of continuous COCs to regulate menstruation include high-performance athletes during training and competitions or (as discussed earlier) women serving in the armed forces who are performing military duties during deployment and combat [19][20][21]24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opinion and experience of Brazilian women regarding menstrual bleeding and use of combined oral contraceptives

Makuch¹,

Duarte-Osis²,

Pádua³

et al. 2012

Intl J Gynecology & Obste

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…58 Among deployed women, 66% reported a strong desire for hormonally induced amenorrhea during deployment and 57% of those who used hormonal contraception to induce menstrual suppression reported high satisfaction with this method. 45, 59 Compared to conventional OCP users, those who used pills continuously reported greater adherence with daily pill use (53% vs. 100%, p=0.02, n=62 60 and 42% vs. 73%, p=0.02, n=500 59 ) and fewer lost duty days relating to menstrual disturbances (14% vs. 0%, n=62 60 and 21% vs. 12%, n=500 59 , no p-values reported). Given the possibility of menstrual suppression, both sexually active and abstinent servicewomen may benefit from hormonal contraceptive use.…”

Section: Active Duty Servicewomenmentioning

confidence: 95%

Unintended pregnancy and contraception among active-duty servicewomen and veterans

Goyal

Borrero

Schwarz

2012

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The number of women of childbearing age who are active duty service members or veterans of the U.S. military is increasing. These women may seek reproductive health care at medical facilities operated by the military, in the civilian sector or through the Department of Veterans Affairs. This article reviews the current data on unintended pregnancy and prevalence of and barriers to contraceptive use among active duty and veteran women. Active duty servicewomen have high rates of unintended pregnancy and low contraceptive use which may be due to official prohibition of sexual activity in the military, logistic difficulties faced by deployed women and limited patient and provider knowledge of available contraceptives. In comparison, little is known about rates of unintended pregnancy and contraceptive use among women veterans. Based on this review, research recommendations to address these issues are provided.

show abstract

“…Of note, desire for mandatory education about continuous COC usage in this population was high, with 86% reporting this type of education should be an entry requirement for all female personnel. 15 Knowledge gaps and compliance difficulties limit use for continuous COCs and therefore menstrual suppression in the military. 15 A small UK military study highlighted the need for military healthcare providers to counsel personnel about contraceptive options rather than leaving this responsibility with national healthcare providers due to the higher levels of exposure to female soldiers.…”

Section: Menstrual Suppression Methods For Astronautsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…15 Knowledge gaps and compliance difficulties limit use for continuous COCs and therefore menstrual suppression in the military. 15 A small UK military study highlighted the need for military healthcare providers to counsel personnel about contraceptive options rather than leaving this responsibility with national healthcare providers due to the higher levels of exposure to female soldiers. LARCs had not been discussed with large numbers of personnel, whereas contraceptive use was not even documented in over half of the consultation records in the year leading up to the study.…”

Section: Menstrual Suppression Methods For Astronautsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Medically induced amenorrhea in female astronauts

Jain

Wotring

2016

npj Microgravity

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Medically induced amenorrhea can be achieved through alterations in the normal regulatory hormones via the adoption of a therapeutic agent, which prevents menstrual flow. Spaceflight-related advantages for medically induced amenorrhea differ according to the time point in the astronaut’s training schedule. Pregnancy is contraindicated for many pre-flight training activities as well as spaceflight, therefore effective contraception is essential. In addition, the practicalities of menstruating during pre-flight training or spaceflight can be challenging. During long-duration missions, female astronauts have often continuously taken the combined oral contraceptive pill to induce amenorrhea. Long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) are safe and reliable methods used to medically induce amenorrhea terrestrially but as of yet, not extensively used by female astronauts. If LARCs were used, daily compliance with an oral pill is not required and no upmass or trash would need disposal. Military studies have shown that high proportions of female personnel desire amenorrhea during deployment; better education has been recommended at recruitment to improve uptake and autonomous decision-making. Astronauts are exposed to similar austere conditions as military personnel and parallels can be drawn with these results. Offering female astronauts up-to-date, evidence-based, comprehensive education, in view of the environment in which they work, would empower them to make informed decisions regarding menstrual suppression while respecting their autonomy.

show abstract

Menstrual Suppression for Combat Operations: Advantages of Oral Contraceptive Pills

Cited by 32 publications

References 21 publications

Opinion and experience of Brazilian women regarding menstrual bleeding and use of combined oral contraceptives

Opinion and experience of Brazilian women regarding menstrual bleeding and use of combined oral contraceptives

Unintended pregnancy and contraception among active-duty servicewomen and veterans

Medically induced amenorrhea in female astronauts

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About