Menstrual cups pass space test in new era for female astronaut health care | Science | News

So far, female astronauts have been forced to rely on hormonal contraception to suppress their periods during their space tasks. However, a new project has explored a potential alternative. In the first task of the species, two cups were launched into space to test their performance in space conditions.

As part of the Astrocup project, the cups were pushed into orbit through a suborbital rocket to assess their performance in space flight conditions. The aim was to examine its structural integrity and leak -resistant abilities in a hard environment. The two orange unites were placed in a metal box in the Baltasar rocket launched by the Roket Experiment (Red) in Instituto Superior Técnico in Lisbon, Portugal.

The rocket reached a height of 3 km and lived for a short time before returning to Earth and descending safely with a parachute.

During the nine -minute flight, basic environmental factors such as air pressure, temperature, humidity and linear acceleration were observed to assess the stress of the cups.

The results were successful without changes in leakage, refraction or luneette menstrual cups and there was no contamination. The flight took place in October 2022, but all results were only announced.

Aleksandra Oklinska, the common owner of Lunette, said: “As space travel expands and more women participate in mission in national and commercial programs, making these conversations are more important than ever.

“The last Ax-4 mission, led by Peggy Whitson, one of all women’s space walks, is more urgent than ever before the need to deal with menstrual care in orbit in the most cumulative time.

Although future tasks are potential for years or even decades, astronauts may prefer to suppress comfort periods. However, this raises concerns about the health effects of long -term hormone suppression.

There are already concerns about how hormonal contraception performances under micro gravity. Certified risks include increased blood clotting and decreased bone density in crew members using combined hormonal suppression drugs.

Trial Science Chief Researcher Ligia F. Coelho, “I began to understand the basic issue from an early stage of my career: the cups are not about them, but rather that such conversations and tests have not yet taken place.

“It seems to have the assumption that existing systems work well. Astrucup is the first step in the operation of the durability and feasibility of the use of menstrual devices in space, and this experiment proves that Lunette’s menstrual glasses are based on the launching environment.”