How do I manage my period while rowing across an ocean?
It is one of the most commonly asked questions. Number 1 – where do you go to the toilet? Number 2 – how do you manage your period?
I have my own experience and advice but I wanted to get a well-rounded view on the subject and present all the options, not just my experience. So I reached out to the ocean rowing community, specifically the Oarsome Women of Ocean Rowing group on Facebook and this is what we came up with.
The quotes throughout in red are all quoted responses from wonderful women who have rowed across oceans.
You don’t!
If you are a woman over a certain age they may have already stopped (lucky you!), but if you are still having periods you may find that they stop naturally. The extreme environment, the exhaustion, the terrible diet, the weight loss, the sea sickness… all these things may contribute to the body saying “you know what, we have enough to deal with here, we don’t need to add in the whole bleeding out of our vagina thing right now, we’ll take a break and save it until you’re back on dry land”.
The good news is that they will return to normal when you return to your normal environment.
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“My periods stopped – I lost a lot of weight quickly and I developed shingles so my body was under pressure. My periods started again a few weeks after returning to land.”
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“I rowed with two other women (and a guy). All of us decided to not take anything for our periods. I’d intended to take the pill but in all honesty I would have totally forgotten to take it, and I had 48 hours of really bad seasickness at the beginning which made taking tablets impossible. It is amazing how the body adapts though; my body totally skipped a period (although I felt quite emotional) during our 6 week crossing - there were no physical symptoms experienced, it just hit me when back on dry land in Antigua! I believe my two team mates also experience something similar.”
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“I had just finished my period the day I started my solo row and was planning to mainly free bleed, but it turned out I didn’t have any periods during my 113 day row. When back on land, I got my period back after a few weeks just as normal.”
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Of course, this is a risky strategy and it can’t be relied upon as a solution because you’re not going to know whether you period will stop until you are in that environment, so it’s still best to be prepared and have a plan!
With that in mind, here are some solutions for period management…
Managing you period naturally.
1. Free bleeding
What is more natural than free bleeding? Just letting your body do it’s thing. It might not be the option you want if you are rowing as a team, but as a solo rower it could be a great option.
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“I have found myself more often now just free bleeding onto a rowing seat pad and washing it off / go swimming / clean up at the end of the day before I enter the cabin and I wear a reusable pad overnight. This maybe isn’t a reasonable option for teams with 2 hrs on/off schedule and shared rowing seats and deck space (or especially mixed teams) but solo women could consider free bleeding and might find it to be a very releasing experience, especially while rowing. The cleanup is gross, but it’s just blood.”
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PROS:
- Natural
- Zero waste
- Liberating
CONS:
- Messy
- Requires time to clean up
- Probably not socially acceptable so maybe not an option if you are with other people
2. Menstrual cup
As the author of this I am trying to keep my personal opinion out of it and be completely neutral and just give the facts, but I have to say that I think the menstrual cup is one of the greatest inventions for period management, and they are improving all the time.
They are convenient, cost-effective, environmentally friendly – with proper care one menstrual cup will last for years.
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“I was in a 5 man, 1 woman crew! I used a menstrual cup which worked just fine (even in Force 8 seas!!), no waste to deal with. Definitely the approach I'd recommend!”
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“I made no attempt to manage my periods and had two while on board, the second one admittedly lighter than usual. I used a menstrual cup and shamelessly emptied it over the side.”
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“I had used a menstrual cup for a number of years beforehand and so used it no problem on the boat. Yes, we discussed on board if emptying cups over the edge would attract sharks… and no it didn’t.”
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“Mooncup is amazing and I would clean with water and then a wipe. As long as it’s not regularly kept in over 12 hrs and washed you will be fine.”
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PROS:
- Environmentally friendly
- Cost effective
- Can be left in for up to 12 hours
CONS:
- Can be a bit messy
- Takes a bit of practice (get comfortable using it before your row)
- Take a back up one in case you lose it
3. Tampons
Probably the most common sanitary product, and absolutely fine to use on an ocean rowing boat, although maybe not the most environmentally friendly.
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“We used the Dame tampons - the only ones I know that are fully plant/paper based (no wax) without applicators and threw them in the ocean. It wasn’t a big deal and all of us had our periods one time over the 34 days.”
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Personally I wouldn’t throw tampons into the ocean. I can’t remember how old I was when I found out you weren’t supposed to flush tampons down the toilet, but it was embarrassingly late in life.
Although improvements are being made in the sustainability of tampons, as with the Dame tampons already mentioned where they are using 100% organic and biodegradable materials etc, they still require very specific conditions – 6 months in a compost heap – to fully biodegrade.
These conditions are not found in the ocean and therefore we always recommend following leave no trace principals to protect our fragile ecosystem.
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“I rowed the Atlantic and had two periods. I used Tampax and wrapped them in dog poo bags then sealed them in ziplock bags to dispose of when I got to land. I had no issues at all with that system.”
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PROS:
- Widely available
- Easy to use
CONS:
- Not environmentally friendly
- Not reusable
- Extra waste to deal with
4. Sanitary Pads
Sanitary pads were only mentioned once within the discussion with the Oarsome Women, and that’s because the ocean really isn’t the most suitable environment for them. You spend a lot of time getting wet from splashy seas and pads aren’t designed to absorb that much liquid!
Overnight, in the cabin would be the best place for sanitary pads.
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PROS:
- Widely available
- Easy to use
CONS:
- Not environmentally friendly
- Not reusable
- Extra waste to deal with
- Not good in a very wet environment
5. Period pants
A relatively new addition to period management, while they may not be that suitable for the ocean rowing environment (unless you are wearing waterproofs), they would be a more environmentally friendly alternative to sanitary pads as they are reusable and washable. Good for wearing in the cabin / at night.
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PROS:
- Environmentally friendly
- Re-useable / washable
- No waste products to store
CONS:
- Not good in a very wet environment
Managing your period hormonally.
**Please always seek professional medical advice before making any decisions on managing your periods medically**
1. Pills
If you’re taking the pill already it is very easy to just run the packets together without a break or to just continue taking the pill as normal (some hormonal pills stop periods anyway).
If you are thinking about taking it specifically for your row, it is advisable to test it in advance so you can see how your body reacts to it.
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“I rowed with two other women (and a guy). All of us decided to not take anything for our periods (not use the coil or take the pill). I’d intended to take the pill but in all honesty I would have totally forgotten to take it and I had 48 hours of really bad seasickness at the beginning which made taking tablets impossible.”
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“I went on the pill non stop.”
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“I chose to take the pill in the hope that I wouldn’t have periods for the crossing but got my period regardless quite early on so then just stopped taking the pill. It was lighter than normal and not too tricky to deal with.”
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PROS:
- Safe to take
- Easy to use
- Free
CONS:
- Doesn’t suit everyone
- Might not be effective if seasick
- You need to remember to take it!
2. Coils / implants
I personally went down this route. Having previously managed my periods with the pill in other (land-based) adventures, I thought my predisposition to seasickness may have an impact on its effectiveness. I was rowing with 2 guys and decided I would rather not have to deal with a period as well as everything else, which is why I made the decision to try to stop them.
If you are thinking about going down this route the best piece of advice I could give here is: get it sorted early! I would say at least a year in advance of your row. I did it 3 months before my row and it took a while for it to ‘settle in’; for me the first year was peppered with moments of “I just want this thing taken out” because I found it uncomfortable a lot of the time, although I persevered and still have it 4 years later and without any problems for about 3 of those years.
I have been assured by people that getting it taken out isn’t as painful as getting it put in!
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PROS:
- Once it’s in you don’t have to think about it
- It can stop bleeding completely
- Environmentally friendly / zero waste
CONS:
- Not guaranteed to stop bleeding
- Insertion really stings!
- Some breakthrough bleeding is common especially in the first year
- Requires forward planning
Of course managing your periods hormonally isn’t for everyone and that’s ok. For some it causes a lot of problems – emotionally and physically – but for others it’s no problem at all.
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“I’ve never thought to take anything to stop periods while on expedition, in fact quite the opposite because I feel my body is already going thru so much, I don’t want to add more things for it to process - just let it be at its most natural state. I also have had bad side effects with the pill and other forms of hormone control.
The pain, fatigue, and management of periods while on expedition is annoying but it’s my body doing its natural thing, and there is peaceful acceptance in that.”
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Hopefully this has been helpful…
If you have any more questions about managing your period while rowing across an ocean then reach out to the Oarsome Women of Ocean Rowing group on Facebook – this is a great community, with a wealth of experience and knowledge — or speak to a medical professional about your options.
