--- title: Can military women successfully use birth control pills to stop their periods in field conditions? description: Only 21% of military women used birth control pills continuously during deployment to stop periods, mostly because taking a pill daily in harsh field conditio url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/menstrual-suppression-for-combat-operations-advantages-of-oral-contraceptive-2011/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Can military women successfully use birth control pills to stop their periods in field conditions? Survey study, 2011 # Can military women successfully use birth control pills to stop their periods in field conditions? Only 21% of military women used birth control pills continuously during deployment to stop periods, mostly because taking a pill daily in harsh field conditions is difficult. Compliant users had fewer period problems than non-compliant users. Early or limited evidence 500 military women deployed to austere settings ## What they did Researchers gave 500 military women deployed to austere settings an anonymous questionnaire about their use of birth control pills and desire to stop their periods. 390 women had experience using birth control pills. ## What they found 78% had used birth control pills and 66% wanted to stop their periods. However, only 40% reported using pills during deployment, and only 21% used them continuously. 67% of women reported difficulty taking the pill every day in the field. Nearly half (45%) missed one or more pill per week. Women using pills continuously were nearly twice as likely to take them correctly as conventional users. Compliant pill users reported significantly less menstrual burden than non-compliant users. 85% of women wanted education about menstrual suppression through pills. ## What it means for you Birth control pills can reduce period problems in field settings, but the main barrier is the challenge of taking a pill daily in harsh conditions. This study was only of military women, so results may not apply to other groups. There was no comparison group. 21% used birth control pills continuously during deployment 67% had difficulty taking pill daily 45% missed one or more pill per week ## About the study Original title Menstrual suppression for combat operations: advantages of oral contraceptive pills Authors Powell-Dunford NC, Cuda AS, Moore JL et al. Journal Women's health issues : official publication of the Jacobs Institute of Women's Health Year 2011 Study design Survey study Participants 390 Read the paper [doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2010.08.006](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.whi.2010.08.006) ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[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, 2021 Do female military officers want to suppress their periods during training? Systematic review, 2020 How common is PMS among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia? Study, 2026 What coping strategies help women manage PMS symptoms? Review, 2026 How do social factors like stigma and unequal care responsibilities affect premenstrual symptoms? Cohort study, 2025 How has PMS burden changed worldwide from 1990 to 2021? Survey study, 2025 How common is PMS among women in urban Pakistan? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗