Hiking and pads..

[WaxQueen]

Yeah, I've heard of the diva cup, but not sure about if its for me. I'll have to research it some more!! Thanks!

[illabelle]

I'm beyond the age to care, but I've heard that some younger women will get a prescription to eliminate their period for the time they're on the trail. Seems like a good thing.

[katze]

I'd definitely look into a diva cup or other menstrual cup, personally I prefer the fleur cup. I love mine for all the time and not just hiking. Less waste! I'd pair it with a light liner, either cloth or disposable.

[ams212001]

Yeah, I've heard of the diva cup, but not sure about if its for me. I'll have to research it some more!! Thanks!

I was on the fence about mine but I find that once i got use to the cup it was fine. It is definitely scary at first! If you are planning on hiking I would try a bunch of different things now so you have a better idea on trail. Just like with your other gear. The nice thing about the cup is you really only have to change it twice a day maybe three if it is a heavy day. Plus, you can dump the waste into a cat hole and bury it.

The cup can also be sterilized in boiling water on the trail. This part may sound gross but boiling water kills all germs so you cook pot is not going to be filled with grossness because it all sterilized by boiling. It is more of a mind over matter type issue.

[WaxQueen]

Yeah, I've always just used pads, so the diva cup is something I'm leery about! But curious too! Especially if it would make life easier for me!!
I'm a country girl, so not much grosses me out. :P Gotta do whatcha gotta do!

[squeezebox]

I'm a male so I do not know what I'm talking about.
I'm also a nurse so i know a little.
Sounds to me that the easiest way is to medically eliminate your period.
Takes a little while to become fertile again.
But it will come back with no side effects.
My humble opinion.

[Traffic Jam]

I'm a male so I do not know what I'm talking about.
I'm also a nurse so i know a little.
Sounds to me that the easiest way is to medically eliminate your period.
Takes a little while to become fertile again.
But it will come back with no side effects.
My humble opinion.

Touche! By the way, I apologized to venchka for being such a witch.

I agree 100% with medically eliminating your period. Of course, there are contraindications to oral contraceptives, talk to your GYN, etc. etc.

[Superbugz]

There are several forms of BCP these days that not only eliminate your period for up to 3 months at a time, but also when you do get it, it's very light and lasts only a few day. I use it to manage severe PMS, but got the added benefits which I didn't expect. Gotta say, this is the way to go for me. It's not for everyone though, talk to your doc and plan ahead, it takes a few cycles to get things right.

[WaxQueen]

Yeah, I've heard of doing that too, but I'd rather not mess with my hormones.. They're usually bad enough!!!

I'll take the period..

[Demeter]

+1 on the diva cup. But if one uses organic cotton, why not simply burn them? Fire starting material, perhaps (but not with a group watching). My personal fav; a personal worship to the moon goddess, thanks for her assistance on your journey

[WaxQueen]

I like something about your perspective Demeter!! lol!

[Tipi Walter]

+1 on the diva cup. But if one uses organic cotton, why not simply burn them? Fire starting material, perhaps (but not with a group watching). My personal fav; a personal worship to the moon goddess, thanks for her assistance on your journey

Totally agree with burning. It's also a good way to lessen book weight on a trip after reading---and granola wrappers, used q-tips, etc.

OR you can do what some TN women backpackers do---just leave it on the ground as trash for others like me to see and comment on---


(Actual photograph of the not-so-elusive sign of the species Redneck on the Bald River trail in Tennessee).

[mad4scrapping]

Totally agree with burning. It's also a good way to lessen book weight on a trip after reading---and granola wrappers, used q-tips, etc.

OR you can do what some TN women backpackers do---just leave it on the ground as trash for others like me to see and comment on---


(Actual photograph of the not-so-elusive sign of the species Redneck on the Bald River trail in Tennessee).

That's disgusting.

[Demeter]

That's disgusting.

I agree. But still no worse than the poop and t.p. someone left next to a friends tent at Trail Days last year

[RumpusParable]

I used the Keeper for years and then switched to the Diva Cup when it started getting a bit old. I'm hoping to be able to use something internal by next year but that's a medical issue that who knows... If I can, I'm ordering a new Diva Cup.

Otherwise, the plan is still cloth pads and washing them out when I get a chance over and over.

Two notes:

None of the BC offered out there that can make your periods stop will reliably make your periods stop. All have the possibility and realistic likelihood of breakthrough bleeding. So if one uses such, still bring at least a bit of period items. I've been on pills, depo, and am now on an implant. All occasional tiny spotting or full-on periods happened once in a great while.

Boiling doesn't sterilize. It sanitizes. It will not kill all germs on anything at all that is boiled. It kills some, but not all. However, in this case we're talking about your own germs so as long as the pads haven't been left damp to develop infectious cultures, so there's not really anything to worry about. If you've ever sucked on a finger you've cut with a kitchen knife, it's no different.

[HooKooDooKu]

Yeah, I've heard of doing that too, but I'd rather not mess with my hormones.. They're usually bad enough!!!

I'll take the period..

Here's something to consider... using a period-halting form of BC causes your body to operate a bit more like the way it was designed for...
What I mean by this (and this is something coming from a birth control book I read many years ago, so I don't recall the source) is that it is a modern phenomenon for women to menstruate for most of their reproductive years. In a previous age, women started menstruating later, and and getting married and starting a family closer to the start of the onset of menstruation. Once married, they would get pregnant within a couple of years. Even after the baby was born, menstruation didn't immediately return. The hormones that breastfeeding release also prevent menstruation in most women... and so with each baby, the average woman would go perhaps two years without menstruating. When you combine that with women having several children during their life time, the end result was that she spent only about half (1/2) her reproductive years menstruating.

But in more modern times, women are starting to menstruate sooner, delaying marriage, delaying the start of a family, and limiting the number of children she's having. The end result was that modern women (those not on forms of BC that halt menstruation) were spending most (as much as 90+%) of their reproductive years menstruating. Studies have suggested that the modern rise in things like uterine cancer are caused in part by the fact that modern women are spending a larger percent of their reproductive years menstruating.

So the idea goes that by using a period-halting form of BC, you're causing your body to better mimic the closer to spending only half their reproductive years menstruating.


As for a specific form of BC, I would suggest you at least research Mirena. It's an IUD, but it also includes very low dose of hormones. In part, the idea is that rather than taking a pill where the hormone has to be evenly distributed through your body to reach the reproductive tract and be effective down there... the Mirena is releasing the hormones at the reproductive tract so you don't need as much to be effective. Of course Mirena isn't for everyone so you would have to research it and talk to your doctor. But I can tell you that for most women, after giving your body a few months to adjust, their periods simply halt for the 5 year effective life of Mirena... unless they get it removed sooner, or replace it in 5 years and continue period free lives.

[shelb]

Yeah, I've always just used pads, so the diva cup is something I'm leery about! But curious too! Especially if it would make life easier for me!!
I'm a country girl, so not much grosses me out. :P Gotta do whatcha gotta do!

Change is hard! Just look at how most people park at the grocery store (same area), kids side at same table in cafeteria, or many of us structure our daily activities!

My friend tried the Diva Cup for one hike - yes, there is a bit of a learning curve (just like tampons!); however, she is so determined that is the way to go, that she swears that is the only thing she will offer her daughter (now five years old) when she gets to that point.

We are creatures of habit. Consider moving outside of the comfort zone!

[WaxQueen]

I rather like to keep things totally natural HooKooDooKu, so I don't think I'd ever take BC unless things were really out of whack and I couldn't find a natural source to correct it(herbs have done me well so far!). And I'm not so worried about dealing with periods on the trail anymore. I think I got it figured out.. Haha! :P

Interesting about the difference between pregnant/breastfeeding mothers and those who aren't though!! I come from a large family (11 kids!) and I know my mother is one of those women. She's spent nearly half her life pregnant, which, I think can be really healthy for the body, I've read a lot of things about breast cancer are less likely for those who breastfeed, etc, etc, but pregnancy can really be hard on the body too. Nutrition is EXTREMELY important before/during pregnancy as well as during breastfeeding I think. So much goes into growing that baby and feeding he/she well!! So I think theres a balance. And I suppose each women is different in whats actually healthy for her. Interesting stuff though!!!

Change IS hard shelb!!!! And I always feel so inspired when I consider CHANGE!!!! But I'm still not sure the diva cup is for me.. Haha! Change takes me a lot of careful thought... :P

[QHShowoman]

It's a damn shame when a woman can't ask a question in the Women's Forum without being lectured/berated/or made to feel stupid by a man.

Agreed.

Forums like this exist for the purpose of asking questions. It's part of what makes WB such an invaluable resource. There are a gazillion newbie questions asked (and re-asked) here on a regular basis. If we shut down each question with a retort like "go read a book" or "do your own research," there'd be little merit in having such a forum to begin with.

[hellokiddo]

Big Diva Cup fan here I swear, I don't know how I survived menstruating without it.