Eli5: What happens with periods in space? Because of like no gravity (I might just be stupid)
In: Other
When there is a female astronaut they is pads on the station in case. But what they do is take a pill daily starting a week before launch that stops you from getting your period
Not much different from earth. The period is moved out of the body but muscular contractions so gravity doesn’t have much effect.
Swear I just had this convo the other day with my hubby. He said they chase down floating blood bubbles with maxi pads lol
Gravity alone isn’t responding for menstrual flow, contraction of the uterus expel the shed endometrial lining.
https://www.period.media/factsfigures/menstruating-in-zero-gravity/
This was actually a legit worry back in the day because we simply didnt know what would happen to women in weightlessness. Hell, there was TONS of stuff we didnt know (and still dont know) about men in weightlessness. Toxic shock was a real worry when it came to women in space.
Edit- I think a lot of people couch this worry as an excuse for discrimination against women in the space program and there may be some truth to that but the fact remains that we simply didnt know what would happen. Toxic shock could easily have been the result, we were shooting in the dark back then when it came to humans in space.
Ooooh good question!
And yes of course the muscles in the uterus are what she’s the lining to create the period but, that still doesn’t answer how the fluid is collected and removed from the canal and vaginal area.
It’s just as good a question as wondering what astronauts do in order to poop or pee … it’s just that it’s less often considered by those of us not going to space. (Well, or so it seems by both this thread and the fact that I am a woman, doula, birthing educator who coincidentally loves all things science/space/sci-fi and I never once even considered this.—Which kinda seems so very obvious not that the OP brought it up!)
This post reminded me of this article.
VERY FUNNY. SCIENTISTS SMH. [100 tampons for Sally Ride- just to be safe. ](https://www.vox.com/platform/amp/2015/5/26/8661537/sally-ride-tampons)
Latest Answers