How Do Women Deal With Having a Period… in Space?
National Geographic
8 November 2017
Sally Ride’s tampons might be the most-discussed tampons in the world. Before Ride became the first American woman in space, scientists pondered her tampons, weighed them, and NASA’s professional sniffer smelled them—better to take deodorized or non-deodorized?—to make sure they wouldn’t smell too strongly in a confined space capsule. Engineers considered exactly how many she might need for a week in space. (Is 100 the right number?, they famously asked her. No, Ride said. That is not the right number.)
The engineers were trying to be thoughtful, though; reportedly they packed the tampons with their strings connected so that they wouldn’t float away. I imagine Sally Ride’s tampons hovering like sausage links in the space shuttle, and wonder if the male astronauts ever came across them and, embarrassed, tried to float quickly away.
All this is to say that menstruation clearly made NASA squirm. Before women went into space, there were not only the sadly typical concerns that women would become weepy or unable to function during their periods, but also that the menstrual cycle might somehow break in space. Would the blood come out without gravity to pull it from the womb? Maybe it would all pool up in there, or even flow backward through the fallopian tubes into the abdomen—a frightening condition called retrograde menstruation.
In the end, someone just had to try it and see what happened. And what happened was … nothing much. The uterus is pretty good at expelling its lining sans gravity, it turns out (after all, lying down doesn’t seem to matter much). Dealing with space tampons is something of a nuisance, though, and space cramps aren’t probably any nicer than Earth cramps. So now scientists have raised a possibility for female astronauts that has only begun to occur to most women—maybe we don’t need to have periods at all.
We have the technology. A combined oral contraceptive, or the pill, used continuously (without taking a week off to induce menstrual flow) is currently the best and safest choice for astronauts who prefer not to menstruate during missions, says Varsha Jain, a gynecologist and visiting professor at King’s College London. She and her colleague Virginia Wotring, who as NASA’s chief pharmacologist was asked to suggest the best contraceptive, published a study of space menses Tuesday in the journal Microgravity. Contraceptive implants and IUDs are options, too, but the pill already has a good track record in space.
In fact, not only have female astronauts already tried out the continuous-pill method (to much less fanfare than Sally Ride’s space tampons), but more women on Earth are opting out of periods too. Polls suggest that about a third of women feel they need to have a monthly period because it seems “natural” and reassures them they’re not pregnant.
“It’s completely safe to suppress the menstrual cycle,” Jain says. Of course, the pill does come with some risks—blood clots in the legs and lungs are a main concern. But Jain says that studies have found no difference in health risks for taking the pill continuously compared with taking it for three weeks at a time.
For long-term space travel, there are added benefits of skipping the flow. “The waste disposal systems onboard the U.S. side of the International Space Station that reclaim water from urine were not designed to handle menstrual blood,” Jain and Wotring write. A woman spending three years in space, say to go to Mars and back, would need about 1,100 pills, which adds some weight to a mission, but is less unwieldy than all those tampons.
As with many aspects of female physiology, there’s still much we don’t know. Could an IUD be shifted by the high Gs astronauts experience during launch? Would an implant under the skin catch on a spacesuit? There’s no reason to think so, but no one has tried it.
Maybe if we weren’t so squeamish about discussing the menstrual cycle, we’d learn more.
词汇：
1. ponder
表示“沉思；考虑；琢磨”，英文解释为“to think about sth carefully for a period of time”举个🌰：
She pondered over his words.
她反复琢磨他的话。
2. deodorize
deodorize /diːˈəʊdəˌraɪz/ 表示“除臭”，英文解释为“If you deodorize something, you remove unpleasant smells from it.”
3.hover
表示“盘旋，翱翔；徘徊，守候”，英文解释为“to stay in one place in the air, usually by moving the wings quickly”举个🌰：
A hawk hovered in the sky, waiting to swoop down on its prey.
一只老鹰在天空中盘旋，要伺机俯冲捕捉猎物。
4.menstruation
menstruation/ˌmenstruˈeɪʃn/ 表示“行经，月经来潮”，英文解释为“an occasion when a woman menstruates”；
📍动词 menstruate /ˈmɛnstrʊˌeɪt/ 表示“行经；来月经”，英文解释为“When a woman menstruates, a flow of blood comes from her uterus. Women menstruate once a month unless they are pregnant or have reached menopause.”
📍形容词 menstrual，下文出现 the menstrual cycle 月经周期。
这几个词都是本文高频出现的。
5. squirm
squirm /skwɜːm/ 1）表示“（因紧张、不舒服等）动来动去，来回扭动，坐卧不宁”，英文解释为“to move around a lot making small twisting movements, because you are nervous, uncomfortable, etc.”举个🌰：
The children were squirming restlessly in their seats.
孩子们在位子上心神不定地动来动去。
2）表示“十分尴尬；羞愧难当；无地自容”，英文解释为“to feel great embarrassment or shame”举个🌰：
It made him squirm to think how badly he'd messed up the interview.
一想到他把面试搞得有多糟，他就觉得无地自容。
6.weepy
表示“悲伤欲哭的”，英文解释为“feeling likely to cry”举个🌰：
I felt tired and weepy.
我觉得很累，想大哭一场。
7. period
熟词僻义，也是可以表示“月经，经期”，英文解释为“the bleeding from a woman's womb that happens once a month when she is not pregnant”。
8.gravity
1）常见含义表示“重力；地球引力”，英文解释为“the force that attracts objects in space towards each other, and that on the earth pulls them towards the centre of the planet, so that things fall to the ground when they are dropped”如：the laws of gravity 万有引力定律，物理课上学的g=9.8还是g=10你还记得吗？
🎬电影《星际迷航》（Star Trek）中的台词提到：Captain, we're caught inthe gravity well. It's got us.舰长 我们被引力井吸住了，它吸住我们了。
2）表示“严重性”，英文解释为“extreme importance and a cause for worry”，可以替换seriousness，举个🌰：
Punishment varies according to the gravity of the offence.
处罚根据罪行的严重程度而有所不同。
3）表示“严肃；庄严”，英文解释为“serious behaviour, speech or appearance”举个🌰：
They were asked to behave with the gravity that was appropriate in a court of law.
他们被要求在法庭上表现出应有的严肃态度。
9.womb
womb /wuːm/ 表示“子宫”，英文解释为“the organ in the body of a woman or other female mammal in which a baby develops before birth”。
📍uterus /ˈjuːtərəs/ 同样表示“子宫”，英文解释为“the organ in the body of a woman or other female mammal in which a baby develops before birth”。
10.abdomen
abdomen /ˈæbdəmən/表示“（人或动物的）腹（部）；（昆虫的）腹部”，英文解释为“the lower part of a person's or animal's body, containing the stomach, bowels, and other organs, or the end of an insect's body”。
11.retrograde
retrograde /ˈretrəɡreɪd/ 表示“倒退的；退步的；恶化的”，英文解释为“returning to older and worse conditions, methods, ideas, etc.”举个🌰：
The closure of the factory is a retrograde step.
工厂的关闭是一大退步。
12. expel
1）表示“排出；喷出”，英文解释为“to force air or liquid out of something”举个🌰：
She took a deep breath, then expelled the air in short blasts.
她深吸一口气，然后一下子把空气呼出来。
2）表示“驱逐；除名；开除”，英文解释为“to force someone to leave a school, organization, or country”举个🌰：
He was expelled from school for bad behaviour.
他因为行为不端被学校开除了。
13. lining
lining /ˈlaɪnɪŋ/ 1）表示“衬层；内衬；衬里”，英文解释为“a layer of material used to cover the inside surface of sth”如：a pair of leather gloves with fur linings 一双毛皮衬里的皮手套。
2）表示“（胃等器官内部的）保护层”，英文解释为“The lining of your stomach or other organ is a layer of tissue on the inside of it.”如：a bacterium that attacks the lining of the stomach 一种侵袭胃粘膜的细菌。
14. sans
sans /sænz/ 表示“无，没有（一般为幽默用法）”，英文解释为“without – usually used humorously”举个🌰：
He came to the door sans shirt.
他走到门口，衬衣都没穿。
15.nuisance
nuisance /ˈnjuːsəns/ 表示“令人讨厌的人或事物；麻烦的人或事情”，英文解释为“If you say that someone or something is a nuisance, you mean that they annoy you or cause you a lot of problems.”举个🌰：
He could be a bit of a nuisance when he was drunk.
他喝醉时会是一个有点令人讨厌的人。
16. be something of a sth
表示“有些像，在某种程度上是”，英文解释为“used to describe a person or thing in a way that is partly true but not completely or exactly”举个🌰：
It came as something of a surprise.
这件事多少有些让人感到意外。
17.cramps
表示“（女性经期的）腹绞痛”，英文解释为“pains in the lower stomach caused by a woman's period”
18.contraceptive
contraceptive /ˌkɑːntrəˈseptɪv/ 表示“避孕用具；避孕药”，英文解释为“any of various devices or drugs intended to prevent pregnancy”如：oral contraceptive 口服避孕药。
19.gynecologist
美式 gynecologist /ˌɡaɪnəˈkɑːlədʒɪst/
英式 gynaecologist /ˌɡaɪnəˈkɑːlədʒɪst/
表示“妇科学家，妇科医生”，英文解释为“a doctor skilled in the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs”。
20.pharmacologist
pharmacologist /ˌfɑːməˈkɒlədʒɪst/ 表示“药理学家，药物学家”，英文解释为“a person who has studied pharmacology”。
区分：
📍pharmacist /ˈfɑːməsɪst/ 表示“药剂师”，英文解释为“a person whose job is to prepare medicines and sell or”。
21.menses
menses /ˈmensiːz/ 表示“月经；行经”，英文解释为“the flow of blood each month from a woman's body”。
22.implant
表示“（手术中）植入，移植；（植入人体中的）移植物，植入物”，英文解释为“an organ, group of cells, or device that has been put into the body in a medical operation”。
23.IUD
intra-uterine device 缩写，表示“宫内避孕器”，英文解释为“a small object put by a doctor into the womb of a woman who wants to avoid becoming pregnant”。
24.track record
表示“业绩记录；成绩记录；过去的成绩或成就”，英文解释为“all the past achievements, successes or failures of a person or an organization”举个🌰：
He has a proven track record in marketing.
他有可靠的销售业绩记录。
25.contraceptive
contraceptive /ˌkɑːntrəˈseptɪv/ 表示“避孕用具；避孕药”，英文解释为“any of various devices or drugs intended to prevent pregnancy”如：oral contraceptive 口服避孕药。
26.menses
menses /ˈmensiːz/ 表示“月经；行经”，英文解释为“the flow of blood each month from a woman's body”。
27.reassure
表示“使…安心；打消…的疑虑”，英文解释为“to say or do sth that makes sb less frightened or worried”举个🌰：
They tried to reassure her, but she still felt anxious.
他们设法让她放心，可她还是焦虑不安。
27.suppress
表示“压制；阻止；抑制”，英文解释为“to prevent sth from growing, developing or continuing”举个🌰：
The virus suppresses the body's immune system.
这种病毒会抑制人体的免疫系统。
28.clot
表示“凝块”，英文解释为“an almost solid piece of something”。
29.unwieldy
unwieldy /ʌnˈwiːldɪ/ 表示“（物体因沉重、庞大或形状奇特而）不灵便的，笨重的；难移动的”，英文解释为“An unwieldy object is difficult to move or handle because it is heavy, large, or a strange shape.”
30.squeamish
squeamish /ˈskwiːmɪʃ/ 表示“易心烦意乱的；易受惊的；神经脆弱的”，英文解释为“easily upset or shocked by things that you find unpleasant or that you do not approve of”举个🌰：
She's really squeamish and can't stand the sight of blood.
她神经很脆弱，见不得血。
总结：
1 tampon 卫生棉条
2 ponder=consider
3 deodorize / odour（unpleasant smell）
4 sniffer / sniff
5 space capsule / space shuttle / space module
6 thoughtful/ considerate
7 hover（to sit in one place in the air）/float
8 sausage 香肠
9 menstruate / menstruation / menstrual flow / menses / the menstrual cycle / period
10 squirm 1 wriggle/ fidget 2 feel great embarrassment / disconcert
11 weepy adj.（feeling likely to cry）/ weep
12 gravity 1 重力，地球引力 2 seriousness/ severity 3 serious behaviour
13 womb/ uterus
14 abdomen 腹部
15 retrograde adj. retrograde step / regression
16 pool up = spout
17 fallopion tube 输卵管
18 expel 1（force air or liquid out of something）排出喷出2 （force sb to leave a school，organization，or country）开除，驱逐
19 lining 1 内衬 2 胃等器官保护层
20 sans （without）
21 nuisance令人讨厌的人或事物 （annoying）
22 be something of（partly true but not comepletely）在某种程度上是
23 cramps 姨妈痛
24 oral contraceptive 口服避孕药
25 gynecology 妇科 gynecologist 妇科医生
26 pharmacologist 药理学家 药物学家
27 implant / transplant
28 track recrod 成绩记录 过去的成绩成就
（all the past achievements of a person or an organization）
29 visiting professor 客座
