Menstruation
Menstruation in the Field
Menstruation in the field is a topic that all members of the Expedition will deal with either directly, as people who menstruate themselves, or indirectly, as colleagues of people who are menstruating. While discussing and dealing with menstruation can be a source of social discomfort, we strive to treat it as another everyday necessity of life in the field. We hope to make this potential point of friction as mundane as possible so that all members of the expedition can spend their energy on the more exciting parts of JIRP.
If you have questions about any of the information on this page (or anything else), please reach out to the JIRP staff! We are also happy to connect you with staff or alumni who can share their experiences with menstruating in the field.
Considerations
First, if you haven’t read the Personal Hygiene page with information about how our bathrooms are set up on the Icefield, you should do that before reading onwards.
Now that you’re back: There are many ways to deal with getting your period in the field, detailed below. When choosing the method(s) that will be most comfortable for you, please consider:
Familiarity: We encourage participants to try out new products at home before coming to JIRP. It’s easier to get the feel for how to use something new in a bathroom with plumbing.
Options: Menstrual cycles can be irregular due to stress and changes in nutrition, exercise, and sleep. You may get your period more often or at a different time than you’d expect. It may make sense for you to combine methods of managing your period, i.e., using tampons on heavy flow days and a menstrual cup on lighter flow days.
Privacy: The menstrual product you choose may depend on your level of comfort with dealing with it in public. The outhouses themselves are private at JIRP, but washing facilities (hand washing, menstrual cup washing, and laundry) are all fairly public. This comes down to personal preference, but please make a plan that will make you feel comfortable.
Menstrual Product Options
-
Menstrual Cups & Discs
Menstrual cups and reusable discs are available from several brands, and they fit differently based on your age, flow rate, anatomy, and your childbirth history. They are made of medical-grade silicone and are meant to be re-used for years at a time. We have a designated menstrual cup sanitizing pot at every permanent camp for boiling menstrual cups. If you go this route, we suggest bringing some wipes you can bring into the outhouse with you for on-the-spot clean-up (just remember to put them in the trash, not down the outhouse hole). We also advise folks to bring (a) a water bottle into the outhouse with them (and a small bottle of soap if you want) to rinse out the cup/disc between uses, and (b) perhaps an extra cup/disc just in case you drop one into the outhouse by accident (advice from one friendly menstruating JIRPer to another 😉).
Pros:Reusable, so you only need to bring one (or two).
No waste, and menstrual blood can be emptied anywhere you’d pee or poop.
Can be worn for up to 12 hours at a time, so you often only have to deal with it twice a day.
Cons:
Washing with soap and water between uses is a bit cumbersome because the washing station is not adjacent to the outhouse.
-
Disposable Tampons & Pads
Disposable tampons are a popular option. Some tampons come without an applicator, which cuts down on bulk when packing for a long trip. If you’re new to applicator-less tampons, you should try them out at home before coming to JIRP.
Disposable pads can also be a good option, although they’re less popular than tampons. If you’re accustomed to using pads, we suggest also experimenting with tampons. On especially rainy days it’s common to have your clothes soaked all the way through, and it may not be comfortable to wear a pad during long ski days.
If you go with either of these options, you’ll set up a field kit to carry both used and unused tampons and pads during the day. Most people set it up in an opaque stuff sack. Inside the stuff sack, you have (a) a small hand sanitizer and maybe some wipes, (b) one ziploc bag of unused products, and (c) one ziploc of used products. Some people cover the ‘used products’ ziploc with duct tape so that you can’t see inside it. Inside this bag goes another ziploc to put used tampons and pads into, along with a couple crushed aspirin or a dry tea bag to cut down on odors. This bag, the one with the used tampons/pads and the aspirin, can go straight into the outhouse trash in camp. New ziplocs are available in camp.
Pros:May be less messy
Disposable products can alleviate some concerns around cleaning products that are inserted into the vagina.
More private, in that there is no public washing/boiling of a reusable product.
Cons:
You have to carry enough for the time you’re out, plus extras for backup (we can always re-stock from town in an emergency, there are grocery helicopters every 7-10 days).
If you’re out on the glacier, you have to carry your used products back to camp every day.
Pads can be uncomfortable while skiing and hiking.
-
Hormonal Birth Control
Many people who menstruate find that using hormonal birth control makes their periods lighter or even non-existent (especially long-acting options like an IUD or an arm implant). This is a very personal preference, and the decision to use hormonal birth control is between you and your doctor. Some people find it freeing to not get their period or to have lighter periods, although some are not comfortable with this option or with the side effects of hormones. Going on hormonal birth control can be a mental and physical adjustment for your body - we suggest trying this for at least a couple of months before coming into the field.
-
Reusable Pads & Period Underwear
Reusable underwear can be a comfortable alternative, although we believe this option is the least popular. We recommend bringing enough pairs to last for a whole cycle, as drying laundry can be difficult to do depending on weather conditions. It may also be helpful to bring a back-up option (tampons, menstrual cup, etc.) for especially rainy days when clothing can get soaked all the way through.
Pros:
Using an external product may be more comfortable for you when handwashing before using the bathroom isn’t convenient.
Cons:
Requires more laundry.
Packing enough pairs for a full cycle may be bulky.