What should I do if I have my period during an emergency?
“I have a period kit in my backpack, but only for one day…”
“I have a menstrual cup in my emergency bag.”
“I will go to the emergency shelter to get pads.”
People tend to think that the proportion of women who happen to be menstruating during an emergency is low, and maybe we don’t need to worry about it. But these things happen. Just like people needing to pee and poo, menstrual cycles are inevitable. We need to ensure we have the proper response to these situations.
Some people are very shy when it comes to talking about menstruation, but we need this menstrual system for the survival of humanity! Please don’t be shy. If you are a man reading this post, I say welcome!! Everybody should know about menstruation problems and how to deal with them in an emergency. Because then we will all know how to help each other.
First, we should know what kinds of problems we might run into after a major disaster, or during a crisis.
- You just started to menstruate, right after the disaster occurred, so you don’t have any pads.
- You can’t get pads from the evacuation shelter, because the workers are too busy helping other people with higher priority conditions.
- You received pads from the evacuation shelter, but they’re not the right size and type for you.
- Water outages might occur. So you won’t be able to wash your menstrual cup and period shorts. And even if you can wash them, where you will dry them? (Figuring out how to dry these is especially tricky in the wintertime.)
- Ever used a menstrual cup? You might find it difficult to use one, the first time you try it. You need to get used to it.
- Sometimes men hand out pads in the emergency shelter. Some women don’t want to ask them for pads.
What should we do?
Prepare pads for your emergency bag
• Put your favorite pads into a compression bag to make them compact. Then put them in your emergency bag.
I set up period shorts in my emergency bag.
I can use them during my period or on a normal day.
Both are ok!
• Setup pantyliners, too. They are very thin and absorbent pads. They are good for vaginal discharge or light menstrual flow. They prevent stains and keep your underwear clean. Just change it when you need to. With pantyliners, you won’t need to wash your underwear, during a water outage.
• Add a mylar bag to put used pads in. It helps prevent odors.
If we run out of pads
• Used old cloth or fabric scraps.
• Use your socks, if the weather is warm enough.
• Use plants, plastic bags or plastic wrap as a liner inside of your fabric scraps.
We can use old sheets, clothes
or any fabric for pee and poo too.
(See post #63.)
Old fabrics are very useful.
How to make an emergency pad?
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Use plastic wrap.
Option 4
Use a leaf.
Option 5
Use socks. You can a put pre-cut plastic bag into the sock, and then use it.
If you learn how to make pads, you will be able to use this knowledge for other things, too!!
See you next time.
Remember, “Protect your life by yourself” （自分の命は自分で守る). You need to survive first, and then you need your emergency supply. No matter how well you prepared your emergency supplies, if you die, then all of your preparations will have been for nothing. First and foremost, keep your health up all the time. Build your stamina so that if you need to, you can evacuate as quickly as possible. Stay healthy.