Women and DCS

[JMarc]

Hi all,

I remember having read relatively recently (in the last three years or so, after I resumed SCUBA diving after a 20-year interruption), that women were more susceptible to DCS than men and that the difference seemed rooted in two causes: difference of body type and an influence of the hormonal cycle. Could someone point me to a summary of the current consensus on the subject and may be sources understandable by someone who is curious about the matter but hasn't a background in biology and physiology?

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hi @JMarc ,

You may be thinking of this study, but it only looked at the phase of the menstrual cycle so there's no comparison with male subjects:

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Percentage-of-women-developing-symptoms-of-DCS-during-each-week-of-the-menstrual-cycle_fig2_9007221

Decompression sickness in women: a possible relationship with the menstrual cycle - PubMed

These data suggest that the risk of DCS may be dependent on the phase of the menstrual cycle and that the distribution of risk differs between OCP and non-OCP users.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Page 17 of this analysis has a nice review of the literature as of the publication date (2004).

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20050041819/downloads/20050041819.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwi6veXxwKOFAxXXFlkFHeE8A60QFnoECC4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2aMVy8Jqm1XuvfR3sqj6IH

A 2003 study that suggests a higher prevalence of DCS in men vs. women:

Incidence and risk factors for symptoms of decompression sickness among male and female dive masters and instructors--a retrospective cohort study - PubMed

DCS symptoms were reported by 190 divers. The incidence of DCS symptoms was 1.52 for males and 1.27 for females per 1000 dives. Dive masters, divers not performing decompression-stop dives, divers not practicing advanced diving and divers with a low number of total lifetime dives had a higher...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

A study on susceptibility to altitude DCS which found no gender-related differences in prevalence but higher rates of venous gas emboli (silent bubbles) in men:

Gender not a factor for altitude decompression sickness risk - PubMed

No differences in altitude DCS incidence were observed between the sexes under our test conditions, although men developed VGE more often than women. Age and height showed no significant influence on DCS incidence, but persons of either sex with higher body mass index and lower physical fitness...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

This from DAN USA:

Women's Health and Diving

Optimal women's health is achieved by considering unique conditions and factors. Read common women's health issues and how they impact diving.

dan.org

6 Common Questions About Women's Health and Scuba Diving

Here are answers to six common questions about women’s health and scuba diving.

dan.org

Best regards,
DDM

 

[JMarc]

You may be thinking of this study

Most probably not. It wasn't a primary source, more a synthesis document targeted at a wider audience. It was perhaps the source of the document I read.

A 2003 study that suggests a higher prevalence of DCS in men vs. women:

That doesn't correspond to my memory which had the inverse relative prevalence. That's a motivation to look harder for the document to see if I misremembered, and if not if they gave any source for their affirmation.

Thanks for the additions to my reading list.