Menstruation is not a disease, but a proportion of women may wrongly feel that way.
Listed below are some exceptions when you have to avoid diving, at least till the day the “red” blood stops.
- When there is a lot of blood during the period
- When there is tiredness – fatigue – pain or/and reported fainting episodes in the medical record of the specific woman.
- And finally when the woman has a low hematocrit or iron deficiency anemia.
The mood of some women also changes, 2-3 days before menstruation, with intense frustrations, anxiety and depression.
For this category of women is recommended to avoid scuba diving until they recovered of hormonal disorder, that causes this mental state. Usually this happens until the menstrual period comes.
In case that the woman is a professional one and it is not possible to postpone the dive in the days of her period, recommended to take enough fluids, vitamins, Fe and folic acid (for iron deficiency anemia).
Finally recommended to professional female divers to use (if trained) blend Nitrox for diving. In conclusion, there is only a minor issue in the early days of the period (days with “red” blood) and nothing more.
But considering how much time we spend on that time of the month – from puberty to menopause, the average woman menstruates almost seven whole years, long time to avoid diving.
Menstruation does not predispose to Decompression Sickness.
Reference: http://ykia.gr/