Managing Your Cycle in the Field - Warfighter Wellness

Military-Specific Challenges

Getting your period in an operational setting ranges from inconvenient to risky. Depending on your job duties and the threat level of your surroundings, bleeding can be difficult to manage. For example, some Warfighters report being unable to step away from their current task to take care of sanitary concerns. And for when they do, there may be limited access to clean, private facilities.

Without the ability to replace or dispose of your sanitary product (i.e., tampon or menstrual cup) in a timely and safe manner, your hygiene and health is at risk. It may also be difficult to obtain and carry necessary supplies while in training or deployed, leading to additional stress and worry.

Management Options

Birth Control: Given the difficulty of managing periods in combat environments, your health care team may recommend contraception, or birth control. Using hormonal birth control can suppress your period, reducing bleeding and associated pain, like cramps. It may prevent and treat other reproductive health conditions, too.

There are 6 types of hormonal methods – the intrauterine device (IUD), implant, injection, patch, pill and vaginal ring. Your health care provider will work with you to determine which method best aligns with your personal needs and mission requirements.

Sanitation Products: When on your period, you likely use some form of sanitation product to manage bleeding. These items include pads, tampons, cups, discs and period underwear. Before deployment and some training exercises, you may need to plan ahead for how you’ll access these items. Do you need to pack them, or will they be available in your operational setting?

Always be prepared with what you need to manage your cycle, even in uncertainty. Taking care of your menstrual health is an important aspect of personal wellbeing and force readiness.

Pain Relievers: Symptoms of PMS and your period often cause physical and mental distress that makes it more difficult to meet operational demands. For example, you may struggle to concentrate at work if you have a headache or abdominal cramps. Easing this discomfort improves your quality of life and work capacity during this stage of your cycle.

Common methods for pain relief include taking over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen and using a heating pad. If you’re unsure of how to access these items in your current work environment, talk to your on-site health care team.

Leading a Healthy Lifestyle: Sometimes PMS symptoms improve with healthy lifestyle behaviors. Though these may be tough to balance with mission requirements, even small changes to your routine can positively impact your health and relieve symptoms.

Engage in routine exercise, consume nutritious meals and get as much sleep as possible leading up to your period. If your job duties require a high level of physical activity, take time to rest and decompress when you can. Using healthy stress management techniques and avoiding substances like nicotine and alcohol also supports symptom relief.

The nature of military work is an added challenge when managing your cycle. Understanding your body is the first step towards effective management. Identify your body’s patterns and find strategies that work for you, while being mindful of shifting operational environments. Talk to your care team if you have questions or concerns about your menstrual health and its impact on your readiness.