Temporary amenorrhea found attractive in survey. (Convenience an Issue).

SAN DIEGO--Temporary amenorrhea was an attractive option to most of the military women who participated in a recent survey at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Capt. Nicole Powell-Dunford, MC, USA, reported.

Anonymous questionnaires were distributed in the cafeteria, main lobby and administrative building at Walter Reed and were completed by 143 military women aged 18-45 years who were either on active duty reserve duty or serving in the National Guard. Anyone with medical prescribing authority was excluded from the analysis, Dr. Powell-Dunford said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Of women who completed the survey 86% said they would like to be amenorrheic during outdoor activities, and 83% cited amenorrhea during deployment as an attractive option, said Dr. Powell-Dunford, who conducted the survey while at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Md.

However, 54% were unaware that continuous use of oral contraceptives could induce amenorrhea. Only 7% had taken advantage of this feature, but 49% of the respondents said they would use oral contraceptives to induce temporary amenorrhea if they were made available for that purpose, said Dr. Powell-Dunford, now a second-year resident at Tripler Army Medical Center, Honolulu.

These findings are definitely applicable to the civilian population as well, she said. Amenorrhea lasting up to 8 or 9 months could be appealing to businesswomen, female athletes, or "anyone who, for convenience's sake, just wants to avoid having a menstrual period."

In a survey of 491 women conducted by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, 65% of respondents said they would prefer to menstruate less often or not at all. In a companion survey, 70% of the health professionals ...