Polygraph, lie detector: Does menstruation or menopause have an effect on the polygraph test?
Channel: bearforensics
Date: 25/09/2018

Certain female conditions might play a role during a polygraph test. Menstruation or menopause for example are a recurrent worry for women when submitting to a lie detector test. 

This video tries to answer the question about how menopause and menstruation affect the polygraph test.
How does menstruation affect the test? Can menopause have an impact on the test?

Women go through natural periods in which their organisms undergo changes.

These changes may have an impact on the polygraph readings. However, this does not have to prevent a polygraph test to be performed.

Each person is different and it is possible that for a person menstruation or menopause can have a greater impact than for other people. If this is the case, please notify the polygraph technician.

In general terms, menstruation has no incidence in a polygraph examination since what is important for the technician is to be able to obtain constant and significant readings. Menstruation usually does not affect these readings.

Menstruation can have a more important effect when the body experiences unplanned and randomized activity ups. In these cases warn the technician of his condition so that he is attentive to these peaks of physiological activity.

A good technician usually performs a calibration test to test the physiological activity of the person before starting the exam and may at that time realize any involuntary activity that may be harmful to the test.

Again, if you think it could be a problem, inform the polygraph examiner.

But as a general rule:

- Menstruation generally DOES NOT AFFECT
- Menopause may AFFECT
- Inform the examiner

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Video produced by Amável Sanches, forensic psychophysiologist, polygraph expert, member of the American Polygraph Association, Primary Polygraph Instructor, major in forensic sciences by the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

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Thank you,
B.E.A.R. FORENSICS