--- title: Do female military officers want to suppress their periods during training? description: Yes, about half wanted to stop periods during training, mainly to avoid worrying about supplies and the inconvenience. However, 37% disagreed, and most didn't url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/female-military-officers-report-a-desire-for-menstrual-suppression-during-2021/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do female military officers want to suppress their periods during training? Survey study, 2021 # Do female military officers want to suppress their periods during training? Yes, about half wanted to stop periods during training, mainly to avoid worrying about supplies and the inconvenience. However, 37% disagreed, and most didn't report that training made their PMS worse. Moderate study design 108 female military officers, average age 25.2 years ## What they did 108 female military officers completed a 9-item questionnaire at the start and end of a 6-month training course. They rated their agreement with statements about menstruation, training stress, and desire for period suppression on a scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree). ## What they found 71% said training doesn't make periods worse and doesn't increase PMS. Yet 50% agreed stopping periods during training is a good idea. 70% said period suppression would prevent worry about supplies, and 64% said it would prevent inconvenience. About 65% reported difficulty with periods because they couldn't find adequate facilities, and 48% said there's no privacy. Opinions remained consistent from start to finish. ## What it means for you Many female soldiers want the option to suppress their periods, mainly for practical reasons like access to facilities and privacy, even though most don't report training worsens their symptoms. Military doctors should discuss hormonal contraception as an option for period suppression. This is a survey of attitudes, not a test of actual treatments. 108 Female officers surveyed 50% Agreed period suppression during training is a good idea 65% Had difficulty due to lack of adequate facilities ## About the study Original title Female Military Officers Report a Desire for Menstrual Suppression During Military Training Authors Ricker EA, Goforth CW, Barrett AS et al. Journal Military medicine Year 2021 Study design Survey study Participants 108 What was tested Questionnaire survey (no medical intervention) Read the paper [doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa339](https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usaa339) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Stress](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-stress/)[Oral contraceptives and drospirenone](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormonal-contraceptives/)[Work and productivity](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-work/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2011 Can military women successfully use birth control pills to stop their periods in field conditions? Survey study, 1997 Does PMS cause women to miss work or do their jobs worse? Systematic review, 2020 How common is PMS among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia? Case-control study, 2014 How common is severe period pain and what causes it? Systematic review, 2026 Can mindfulness, yoga or qigong help with PMS symptoms? Survey study, 2026 Does exercise help college women with period problems and mental health? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗