Survey study, 2001
Does the menstrual cycle affect how alcohol impacts flying ability?
No clear difference. Women pilots' flight performance after drinking was the same during their menstrual phase and luteal phase, even though hormone levels were much higher in the luteal phase.
What they did
24 white female pilots were tested twice: once during their menstrual phase and once during their luteal phase. On each test day they drank alcohol and performed flight simulator tests immediately after drinking and again 8 hours later.
What they found
Estradiol and progesterone levels were much higher during the luteal phase. However, flight performance after drinking was similar in both phases. There was no connection between hormone levels and how well pilots flew after drinking.
What it means for you
The menstrual cycle phase doesn't appear to change how alcohol affects complex task performance, which is important for women pilots and others. This is a real-world task study with a decent sample size.
24
female pilots studied
0.67 g/kg
amount of alcohol given
8 hours
time of second flight test after drinking
About the study
- Original title
- Influence of the menstrual cycle on flight simulator performance after alcohol ingestion
- Authors
- Mumenthaler MS, O'Hara R, Taylor JL et al.
- Journal
- Journal of studies on alcohol
- Year
- 2001
- Study design
- Survey study
- Participants
- 24
- What was tested
- Alcohol (0.67 g/kg)
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.15288/jsa.2001.62.422
Topics
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