Invited review: gender issues related to spaceflight: a NASA perspective

Area of Science:

• Space physiology
• Astronaut health
• Gender-specific responses

Background:

• Studies on microgravity's physiological effects historically overlooked gender differences.
• Limited data on gender-specific responses in astronauts due to small female representation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review known and potential gender differences in physiological responses to spaceflight.
• To highlight impacts on astronaut health and identify research gaps.

Main Methods:

• Minireview of existing literature on physiological responses during spaceflight.
• Analysis of data across various physiological systems including cardiovascular, neurovestibular, and immunological functions.

Main Results:

• Orthostatic intolerance is the only area with sufficient data, showing higher presyncope incidence in women post-shuttle missions.
• Individual physiological variability within genders is typically larger than differences between genders.

Conclusions:

• Insufficient data prevents broad conclusions on gender-specific spaceflight responses.
• Individual characteristics are more significant than gender per se in most physiological responses to spaceflight.