Menstruation
From the Survival Blog
Letter Re: Remembering Dear Aunt Flow
I have used folded up cloths as pads for years for my monthlies. As long as you use a cotton cloth at least as big as a bandanna, bleed-through of a pad is surprisingly not that likely.
Have several, that way you always have a dry one and they can hand wash and hang dry in shifts. There is no reason why they can’t be as sanitary as the commercial ones.
To wash one, soak it in soapy water. Once it’s soaked a bit (like 10 minutes), rinse it and wash it again with soap until it’s clean. It doesn’t take a lot of water if you do it that way, and it takes most of the work out of it too. At the end of the period, put the clean ones through the laundry for real with very hot water.
I suppose one could make a plastic shield out of a piece of a trash bag, and fold it up in the pad near the bottom. That would help with bleed-throughs.
The only thing that is truly inconvenient about cloth pads, besides that they like to migrate more than the ones with the stickum, is if you are traveling and have to use public rest rooms, you’ll probably have to stick the used ones in a Ziploc bag until you get the chance to wash them in private. I just use commercial pads when I am traveling, that way I don’t have to worry about it.
Back in the day, the commercial pads didn’t have stickum. We had special underwear with straps to hold the pads on, or we would safety pin them on. - Penny Pincher
Here is the
original post from the Survival Blog.
It is a reasonable assumption that most
Survival Blog readers are already going to be in the preparedness mindset.
Whether you're preparing for a natural disaster, economic collapse, zombie
apocalypse, or something in between you must always have each and every family
member's needs in mind. Most of us start with the 'generic' items that everyone
needs such as water, food and standard medical supplies. While that is the
absolute best starting place for all families, after the basics are accounted
for you should then consider any unique or special needs that you may have to
provide for. Many of us have groups we are planning for which often include
extended family or close friends which are expected to show up if stuff starts
going from bad to worse. Quite often those loved ones will arrive with little
to no supplies of their own. Or perhaps you are just planning on hunkering down
to ride out the 'storm' with your immediate family. Either way, if there's even
one woman of or near reproductive age expected to end up in your home or
retreat, it is imperative that you do not forget to prep for Aunt Flow's
inevitable visit (aka a woman's menstrual cycle).
Many sites have
covered the multiple uses of tampons beyond the 'traditional uses', most
notably and comically the Art of Manliness' "Why yes, that is a tampon in
my mouth" but not many 'prepping lists' on survival sites include them or
if they do, it is a box here and there. There's even plenty of urban legends
about our military personnel carrying tampons in their med/survival kids (while
this seemed hard for me to believe, one military member of my extended family
who is a veteran of the Vietnam War insists that he knew some service members
that carried them). With households where a male member is the one purchasing
the family preparations, this very important item may be overlooked or
significantly under stocked depending on the time frame that the family is
planning to be self-sufficient for.
Before I go
further, it has been suggested to me before that, 'women in the old days used
an old cloth that they washed and reused'. While this is true, I would point
out that toilet paper as we know it today is a relatively new invention.
'Splinter free' toilet paper was not even advertised until 1935! Modern
products are more sanitary and have their obvious advantages. As a family that
has made the decision to start preparing to be self-sufficient should a crisis
occur, the 'old fashioned' rag should only be considered a last resort. So if
you're stocking modern conveniences like toilet paper, there really is no good
reason not to stock feminine products for the women in your life.
It is expected that
many if not most males likely think that all tampons or menstrual pads are the
same. While the concept is obviously consistent across all brands, the shapes
and sizes are not. For example, some brands of tampons are longer which
contrasts with other brands that are shorter but 'flower' out to make a bowl
shape when in use. A woman's body comes in different shapes and sizes thus most
women will find a brand or style that works for them and stick with it. Not
because of the name on the box, but because that product does the job
effectively for that particular woman. There's significant peace of mind that
comes with being comfortable that the product you are using will be effective
and not leak. Especially if the Schumer hits the fan, we may not be able to
wear a fresh set of clothes every day or have the convenience of washing our
clothes often, so not leaking will be priceless to the women in your life not
to mention more hygienic.
I imagine that some
readers at this point may have the blank 'deer in headlights' look. So where do
you start?
Ideally the females in the household are involved in family preparations or are open to discussions so you can simply ask what brands/sizes/amounts they use each month. However, some women are not comfortable discussing these things as would likely be encountered with a family that includes a teenage daughter who is more concerned with social media than the end of the world as we know it. If this is the case, you may need to resort to more covert ninja-like tactics to obtain the necessary information. Your best bet will be to tear the top off of a box of products that she currently uses and go buy that particular brand/style.
Most women use different sizes of products depending on the point in the cycle since the flow ramps up and then back down. When looking at the boxes that they use, note the larger of the products and focus on that size when stockpiling. It is always better to have too much absorption than too little regardless of the point in the cycle. The larger size will also aid with the speed at which the products are used since they will not need to be changed as often during the lighter part of the cycle.
Ideally the females in the household are involved in family preparations or are open to discussions so you can simply ask what brands/sizes/amounts they use each month. However, some women are not comfortable discussing these things as would likely be encountered with a family that includes a teenage daughter who is more concerned with social media than the end of the world as we know it. If this is the case, you may need to resort to more covert ninja-like tactics to obtain the necessary information. Your best bet will be to tear the top off of a box of products that she currently uses and go buy that particular brand/style.
Most women use different sizes of products depending on the point in the cycle since the flow ramps up and then back down. When looking at the boxes that they use, note the larger of the products and focus on that size when stockpiling. It is always better to have too much absorption than too little regardless of the point in the cycle. The larger size will also aid with the speed at which the products are used since they will not need to be changed as often during the lighter part of the cycle.
During a quick
Internet search, I found a study that said 70% of women in North America use
tampons monthly and will use an average of 11,000 tampons in a lifetime. So
naturally the next question should be, how many of a particular item do you
need to store. If the lady is not willing to discuss this matter with you, just
watch the boxes as they get used each month and you'll get an idea. Then do the
math and add some padding (pun intended) to that number.
On average a woman has a 28 day menstrual cycle. She will be menstruating for 2-7 of those days and it is recommended to change the product every 4-8 hours. Again, every woman is different so just watch the usage of the products to get an idea.
On average a woman has a 28 day menstrual cycle. She will be menstruating for 2-7 of those days and it is recommended to change the product every 4-8 hours. Again, every woman is different so just watch the usage of the products to get an idea.
If your family is
on a budget and cannot afford the particular brand she uses to stock up on,
then there are plenty of relatively inexpensive options at discount chain
stores and also generic store brands. Any product will be better than no
products when going to the store for a resupply is no longer an option. Make
sure to check the big box stores and online retailers first for cost
effectiveness. Like any item, watch for sales or coupons and stock up. If going
the generic brand route, it would be best to have the woman test out the
effectiveness of various store brands for reasons stated previously before
making large purchases.
Keep in mind that
while these products are paper based, their purpose is to absorb therefore they
must be stored appropriately just like toilet paper or medical gauze. A cool
dry place out of direct sunlight and humidity is required. If the products have
become damp, it is best to just discard the products and replace.
The obvious problem
with products such as menstrual pads and tampons is that they are disposable
and the supply is finite. Therefore when the supply runs out, an old cloth may
be the only option. There are, however, some alternatives to disposable
pads/tampons.
Products exist that
are reusable which are called menstrual cups. Menstrual cups are as old as
modern applicator based tampons although they are not as popular. The most
common menstrual cups on the market are medical grade and hypoallergenic
silicone however latex cups do exist so those with sensitivity to latex should
make note of the materials. These products have a suggested use-life of about
5-10 years and can hold significantly more liquid than a tampon so they do not
need to be changed as often. When it is time to change them, simply boil to
clean. Pretty easy. One of the most well known brands is the Diva Cup and you
can buy them at most all grocery and drug stores. Menstrual cups do cost more
than tampons or pads but since they are not one use/disposable they are more
economical and pay for themselves after only a couple of months of usage. It
needs to be noted that just like tampons, some women have good experiences with
them while others find them uncomfortable. Some women even modify them by
cutting off the extra 'stem'. A plan to go this route really requires that a
woman would need to test out various brands for themselves to determine the
comfort and preference before a SHTF event requires usage.
Further
alternatives are noteworthy such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) that have time
released progesterone which act as a long term (5-10 years depending on brand)
birth control and has a common side effect of reducing or eliminating the
monthly menstrual cycle. However these options are beyond the scope of this
article and should only be considered
after significant research and consultation with a medical professional
as everything comes with potential negative side effects.
The best part of
prepping for 'Aunt Flow' is that she will always visit the ladies in your life
even if the Schumer never hits the fan so the products will not go to waste.
And if you really want to score extra 'brownie points', don't forget the
chocolate!
No comments:
Post a Comment