(Not so) Secret Women's Business - Periods in the bush

[Lotsafreshair]

Hey all,

Here's my latest blog post that is from the, "things-I-wish-someone-had-told-me-but-had-to-figure-out-for-myself-vault."

http://lotsafreshair.com/2013/01/05/not-so-secret-womens-business/

I'm really interested to see what other tips or tricks people might have.

Hope you find it useful!

Cheers
Lotsa

[Onestepmore]

Thanks for posting. Had some Made Me Smile moments.
The hardest part I find is not privacy, but being able to clean up properly. Take a waterbottle with you, precious as it contents are.
Tampax is a good applicator brand, the cardboard tube and wrapper are biodegradeable (but best carried out)
And the point about not burying used tampons because some beastie may regard it as a snack is so true. As a vet, at least once a year I have had to perform surgery to remove life threatening obstructions from a dog's intestines, when the dog has raided the bathroom bin. They swell.....Makes for interesting conversations with owners afterwards. I'd hate it to happen to a possum, or tassie devil etc

Last edited by Onestepmore on Sun 06 Jan, 2013 12:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Lizzy]

Good work Lotsa- important to help out newbies to the bush and ensure that they both enjoy the experience and not leave rubbish about.
Here is another one to try- I think menstrual cups are much more common in Scandanavia & can take a bit to get the hang of but dont take up much space or create waste. Also will still work if not waterproofed and have a higher capacity/volume. Have yet to test out on a trip tho;
http://www.lunette.com/au/
For women taking the combined oral contraceptiove pill they can also skip the sugar pills and continue with a new lot of active pills if this suits....

[Gusto]

I skim read your post, it's not directly relevant to me. But given that I used to work as an O.E. Instructor/leader for school students the topic is one that I've encountered before. I also have worked closely with female O.E. Instructors. I've done a couple of 10 trips where I was the only male in a group of 13 people.

My 2 cents worth is for the students we provided extra bags etc. to wrap up sanitary items as we refuse to burn or bury. I personally was in charge of buying equipment. Our ideal setup was to have small paper bags and small opaque zip lock bags. Nothing much different from what was mentioned in your blog.

However, the female staff did not personally do this for themselves. For the reason of there is so much waste generated. Pads/tampons, wrappers and bags etc. Also the issue of having to carry more items in and more items out of the bush. Instead they used a resuable sanitary item. They are best described as reusable menstrual cups. There are a few brands, here is one http://www.mooncup.co.uk/ a simple google search will display more. Cleaned with boiling water

A question I had at work a year ago was, is it possible to buy natural, bio-degradable sanitary items that would then be okay to bury or burn. I did some research online and wasn't able to find anything. But I found information about pads made out of fibre from Banana trees that were being used in 3rd world countries. I've left that employer now and haven't hunted again. But I have noticed in the supermarkets some pads that are advertised as being 100% cotton and biodegradeable.

I'd be keen to read other peoples perspectives on this.

[Lotsafreshair]

Thanks all. So sounds like the Diva/Lunette/Mooncup is a potential way to go.

There's an interesting page on the Divacup website http://divacup.com/how-it-works/sports-and-travel/ which talks about what to do with emptying your cup in the wilderness. Same leave no trace practice about burying though.

... interesting if you're travelling in bear country that you need to "keep your flow" and hang it in a bear cannister, etc.

[puredingo]

Aren't we forgetting the most important conern about this whole situation?...BEARS CAN SMELL THE MENSTRATION!

[Gusto]

Are you suggesting to squeeze females in to bear canisters? or have them stay 100m away from you at all times?

[matagi]

You can buy lightly scented opaque disposal bags for sanitary products in the supermarket - more common in areas where there are septic tanks, but I have seen them in Coles in the "big smoke" too. The bags tie down to quite a compact package, so you would be able to fit more of them into one ziplock bag, which would cut down on the bulk a little.

As already mentioned, for women still on the oral contraceptive pill, the easy solution is to skip the 7 days of inactive pills and go straight onto the next pack of active pills. It is perfectly safe to do so and means you don't have to deal with sanitary products in the bush.

Last edited by matagi on Sun 06 Jan, 2013 4:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[taswegian]

Growing up with no sisters nor any cousins, aunts etc within Australia this wasn't something even discussed or 'on the horizon'.
So I could well have fitted that "thick" type who "didn't comprehend what was going on".
I'd have no problems with being asked to move on and it would have been very embarrassing.
Probably adds another dimension to the topic from the side of ignorance.

When I took my girls bush it was never discussed, girls don't do that with dads! Well not all.

So yes, we blokes need to pull our weight and be respectful.
Many years of living with 4 females has engendered a respect and admiration for you girls.

[tasadam]

For women taking the combined oral contraceptive pill they can also skip the sugar pills and continue with a new lot of active pills if this suits....

What my wife does. Hardest part is in remembering to take it when on a walk.
A small number of spare pills are carried, as are a few tampons in the 1st aid kit - doubles up as a wad to bite down on if a tooth gets knocked out. That reminds me, I need to add napro to the list of pills in the 1st aid kit in case she skips a pill and the onset begins.

[colinm]

Aren't we forgetting the most important conern about this whole situation?...BEARS CAN SMELL THE MENSTRATION!

I saw it on this wildlife docco http://youtu.be/tfboOt1bJcA

[Pongo]

I carry a tampon in my med kit mainly as a courtesy to the ladies I walk with or just in case someone I encounter on the trail comes up short. I imagine it would suck to need one and not have it on hand and so I carry it. At the end of the day it can always be used to aid in stopping a blood nose.

Edit: And now that I've put some thought into it I have a question... How many tampons (is there a PC term for this? Sanitary napkin?... Toilet / Bathroom, Potaytoe / Potahta - I digress) would one need in the bush. Seeing as I carry one... should I think about carrying 2 or 3 more? This adds to pack weight but is worth consideration nonetheless.

[matagi]

Tampons weigh next to nothing in their pristine state.

As for how many to carry - I would say 5 is a nice round number (or not so round, but you know what I mean)

[Onestepmore]

I'll link this again (seeing I refound it in relation to the firestarting material thread)
Mutitudes of uses for the little blighters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIpcPlSwCMs

[Lizzy]

Good on all you fellas that pack tampons in your first aid kit. In terms of how many- well 1 can last MAX of 8 hours so it depends on trip etc but at least a couple is a good idea. Always good to remember with young girls that especially while traveling their cycles can get messed up & they may get a surprise they are not prepared for...so be prepared.

Back to the menstrual cups- if you at first don't succeed try & try again. I found it irritating so i chopped the stem off & Turned it inside out- much more comfy! Good luck

[Gusto]

Other benefits of the cups as I am lead to believe is that you don't need to change them as regularly, which saves some time. And they are also better for water sports eg. rafting/canoeing.


I'm still interested in the idea of pads that are burnable, much more practical to provide to clients than a reused cup. http://www.janipad.com .

[Lotsafreshair]

Oooo no a cup should only ever have one owner!

For a first aid kit, I reckon 2-3 tampons are the go. If it's an extended trip and someone is caught out, they may need to reconsider their plans. Generally speaking they should last 4 hrs each, but that depends on the flow. Like anything in your kit though, don't forget to check them over to make sure the covers are in tact... You wouldn't want to have to use one in an emergency and it's been bouncing around in the bottom of the kit for 5 years, with grit and dirt in it.

However, I'm a firm believer that everyone should always have their own first aid kit and not rely on the leader. I guess it's a bit different with Outdoor Ed or commercial trips, but for clubs and personal trips BYO.