How to Swim when You Are on Your Period

It's a perfect beach day, and you discover that you start your period today. No problem! It's a big myth that women can't venture out in the water on days like this. But if you just don't want to, here's some ways to still have fun onshore.


Steps

1. 'Dive in! Women have been in and around the water since there have been women. There's no actual reason--physical or otherwise--that menstruation bars you from the water. Female lifeguards, aquatic biologists, Olympic swimmers and divers, and so on all venture into the water during their menses. You can too.

2. Choose a good location. You might be uneasy going into a pool during your period. Although the fear is that you'll somehow leak or show, you can choose a larger body of water, like a lake or ocean where it's much less likely anything would be noticed.

3. Wear a tampon. You can swim (and do nearly every everyday activity) while wearing a tampon. However, never use for more than 8 hours, as this increases the chance of Toxic Shock Syndrome. Remember to use a less absorbent tampon if you are less experienced.

4. Try using a menstrual cup. This feminine hygiene product may be unfamiliar to many women, but is an option many prefer. It HOLDS the flow rather than absorbing it, so that you can be as active as you like.

5. Just wade.Wear a nice pair of shorts or a pair of skorts and simply wade in as much as you can. You can still be around your friends and you don't need to make any detailed explanations - just say that you think the water's too cold or that you're not feeling up to swimming that day.

6. Just Say:"I don't want to swim right now because I'm on my period". If everyone present is female, they'll probably understand. If you're in mixed company, the boys will probably be too embarrassed to give you a hard time about it. (Although you're also promoting the myth that a menstruating woman can't go in the water or horrible but ill-defined things will happen.)


Tips

* The tricky part about this whole thing is that the removal can be messy. You can do this by going into the shower or bringing a plastic zip lock bag (and a paper bag to conceal the contents) with you. Now you can still have your day at the beach

* If possible, wear red or black swim bottoms, or find a pair of shorts you don't mind getting wet ("Oops, careless me, forgot my swim bottoms!"). If you do happen to leak it won't show as much.

* Other ways you can participate without actually going into the water include sitting on the side of the pool or end of the pier and tossing in balls/rings etc that the other swimmers have to catch; being a "race" official on the edge/shore; preparing the food (but get the others to clean up after!); holding the hands of any small kids who might come along and helping them to enjoy their day at the beach. Don't stay at home just because of a period; there's still a lot of fun to be had.

* Remember: After swimming while wearing a tampon, even if less than 8 hours, change it! The tampon could have absorbed chemicals such as chlorine from the water, which could have adverse effects on your health.



Warnings

* Be sure to go over tampon usage with a knowledgeable female and your doctor. Using tampons is not difficult, but it's a skill and requires knowledge and practice. Not all girls are suited for wearing tampons. Whether or not tampons are right for you is a highly personal decision. Therefore, it is recommended that the tampon is tried for a minimum of 3 days to ensure comfort and practicality. For some people, even the thought of using a tampon is off-putting - don't worry, there is no pressure to try.
* Avoid ocean beaches that have a history of heavy shark traffic. While it's extremely rare that you would ever be harmed by a shark, and there's no statistical evidence that menstrating females are any more likely to be harmed than anyone else...pick your swimming location carefully.