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Military menstrual needs

Degree Project 2024

Försvarsmakten requires basic military training from citizens, but there is no standardized solution for managing menstruation during field exercises. Women who contributed to this project described how they developed their own methods for managing their periods in field conditions. Their methods and preferences differed. Some preferred pads to avoid infection, while others used tampons to prevent chafing. Field exercises vary in conditions, typically lasting 1-10 days and involving intense physical activity with disrupted sleep and eating routines. This affects the menstrual cycles, making it difficult for the conscripts to predict their bleeding. Nineteen individuals who have been or are active in the Swedish Armed Forces participated in the project, and the design was made largely in collaboration with these individuals. The result is an adaptable kit for managing menstruation during field exercises.

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Project Information 

Försvarsmakten (Swedish Armed Forces) are part of the Swedish society, and as a citizen, you may be obligated to undergo basic training with Försvarsmakten. Currently, there is no standardized solution for managing menstruation during field exercises. Here are four out of 95 answers form individuals who have experienced this issue themself. 

"No one talked about menstruation in the field. No one gave tips or anything. My best friend and I had to rely on each other and help each other with tips, etc. No one else helped us."

"There is no opportunity to wash hands. Therefore, pads are a better option in the field, but that information was not shared. It was learning by doing."

"I want to emphasize extremely strongly on hygiene and the possibility to change underwear when soaked through. I went the last 3-4 days of an exercise with very bloody underwear."

"The most challenging part was the hygiene and the lack of knowledge among the superiors."

Through my research, it was clear that individuals experience different issues when it comes to their periods during field exercises. This leads to different preferences for period management. Some only used pads due to the risk of infection and disease associated with inadequate hygiene. Others only used tampons since they said that pads chafed during marches. The situations can vary as well. A field exercise can last from 1 to 10 days. The tasks can include hard physical exercise, no sleep, and limited access to nutrition. All this also affects the menstrual cycle, creating uncertainty about when your period will occur. Other main issues aside from hygiene, uncertainty and preferences are time pressure and social aspects. A change of period protection generally takes longer than the allocated time for toilet breaks in the field. People who come forward in this project say they wish for better understanding among their superiors regarding period management in the field.

Methods

The concept was explored mainly through physical form since the function of the kit was in focus. Physical prototypes were discussed and developed largely in collaboration with nineteen individuals who had been or were active within Försvarsmakten. Seventeen of the participants were women who had experienced the issue themselves. The project is in collaboration with Ungdomsmottagningen and Försvarsmakten. Additionally, the design agencies Yellon and Snigel contributed to the project.

Result

In this project, a menstrual kit called Mensficka has been created aiming to facilitate menstruating individuals within Försvarsmakten. The equipment is designed so the user can adapt the kit to their precise menstruation needs as well as the situation they are in. The introduction of the equipment is also expected to affect the social aspect and give menstruation a greater presence during field exercises. One of the contributing women put it like this: “If Försvarsmakten distributes an equipment designed for managing menstruation in the field, it shows that menstruation is part of the exercise, which shows that I am part of Försvarsmakten”.