Women in submarines face health issues

washingtontimes.com ^ | April 5, 2010 | Rowan Scarborough

[piytar]

Easy solution. The boomers must surface every 72 hours to accomodate potential pregancies.

What, that might impact military preparedness and deterence? Who cares? This is about EQUALITY! After all, what’s more important, PC or mere military concerns? Our so-called “enemies” will understand! (Better than we want, in fact.)

[Netizen]

Dumbest idea I ever heard of, women on submarines ...

Not sure that women on subs is dumb, BUT, a pregnant woman on a sub, yeah, that sounds dumb. jmo

[Jack Hydrazine]

The thing that comes to my mind is will there be a professional gynecologist on board the sub, too? If a woman gets pregnant while on a six month cruise she either going to need an OB/GYN or they will have to drop her off at the nearest port.

Which do you think will happen?

[airedale]

At that level they are more politicians than military officers when working with Congress. Say the right thing and you get promoted. Say the wrong thing and your career of pet project goes in the dumps. The progressive wing of the Democratic Party is in control so women on subs is a great idea.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Morale is going to go waaaayyyy down once the PMS starts flying and the word will get out to the men not to sign up for any sub service.

[dasboot]

Sinking the Bismarck?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Or, the sub has to now carry evacuation pods.

[HiTech RedNeck]

If they are on the pill there won’t be any PMS (or accidental pregnancies) but requiring that is a whole nother ball of wax.

[dayglored]

It seems to me the simple solution to the pregnancy problem is to require that women on sub duty use high-rel implantable contraception -- the kind you can't just "forget" at an inconvenient time, and that has an excellent success rate. Make sure they're not knocked up when they sign on, and keep 'em that way.

The military has no problem requiring troops to take medications, preventatives, and whatnot for other reasons, and this seems like a reasonable precaution. Any women who don't want that type of contraception will be assigned to non-sub duties.

The likelihood of accidental pregnancy is thus reduced to a level that puts it below a lot of other possible problems. This seems pretty straightforward.

Putting women on subs is dumb for a lot of reasons, but pregnancy doesn't have to be one of the main ones.

[FrankR]

[Ronin]

I have heard that the menstrual cycle of women who live in close confines tend to synchronize. Can you imagine the joy of being confined inside a submerged submarine with 20 odd women who are all having PMS at the same time?

[dayglored]

> If they are on the pill there won’t be any PMS (or accidental pregnancies) but requiring that is a whole nother ball of wax.

see my post just below yours. There's plenty of precedent for the military requiring troops to take preventative medications and substances for avoiding trouble that could compromise safety, health, or the mission. Contraceptives are no different.

[dayglored]

> I have heard that the menstrual cycle of women who live in close confines tend to synchronize. Can you imagine the joy of being confined inside a submerged submarine with 20 odd women who are all having PMS at the same time?

Or a week later, when they're all on the rag at once? Good lord, the stink of the place will out-do anything the guys could cook up, including all farting at once!

Maybe the solution is to only allow women that are sufficiently non-feminine, or hyper-athletic, whose menstrual cycles have stopped.

[fr_freak]

If they are on the pill there won’t be any PMS (or accidental pregnancies) but requiring that is a whole nother ball of wax.

I don't know a whole lot about submarines. Do they recycle waste water? If so, then you will have the same problem with the sub water supply that you have with the water supply in the general population - high estrogen levels partly due to excreted material after taking hormone-based birth control. Do you want your sub guys getting regular doses of estrogen?

[Sarajevo]

I look forward to the day when front-line officers are in charge again, and these desk driving idiots are retried.

Heh-heh! Where do you think thses "desk driving idiots" come from?

[HiTech RedNeck]

I believe power from the engine is used to desalinate seawater for drinking and cooking. Estrogens wouldn’t be the only problem here; antibiotics would be too.

[goat granny]

Women on their periods also have a different odor about them and their waste. In a confined area that also would be a odor problem and disposal problem...the whole idea is nuts unless the whole team is female. and then send them out when they are all PMS ing...For some reason women in families will many times go on their menses at the same time. Its unconscious not consciously done...Women in close quarters on a sub will do the same thing I believe..

There have been studies on this situation. no one knows why it happens...

[goat granny]

Creeping crude?

[Jeff Gordon]

Remember the 9 fatal crashes during training for our next F-16 to-be-pilot??? Then she sued!!!!!!!!!

She sued after she fatally crashed nine times? Wow! The Navy Medical Corps must be outstanding.

[freedumb2003]

>>the whole idea is nuts unless the whole team is female. and then send them out when they are all PMS ing<<

That would be the most vicious weapon of any military force of any country ever!

“Ma’am, they are waving the white flag...”

“They’re MEN!! RIDDLE THAT FLAG WITH THE .50 CAL, THEN SINK THEIR ASSES, THEN SINK THE PARTS THAT FLOAT!!!!””