No Period for Five Months!

[Turner]

I was recently researching this exact issue, over night hikes are one thing, week hikes are another but I leave in june for a ME-GA thru hike and there was no way I could, or the men I'm going with deal with me on my period.. Pills make me very sick and I'm very sensitive to drugs so I discussed with my doctor the Mirana, an IUD.. It's only if your not looking for children in the next 5 years..It's incredible. I've had it for 2 weeks and I'm still dealing with the cramps randomly but haven't had any side effects and truly think it will be my favorite thing I've done to prepare for the trail. Truly something to look into!

[sarbar]

Turner....you do realize the Mirena is full of hormones, right? It is the same as the pill in most ways, just done in an internal form. The only non-hormone version of the IUD is the 10 year Paraguard.

And either IUD's can be removed at any time, you don't have to keep them in. Although with the Mirena you can have the effect of leftover hormones, especially if a woman gains weight. But the Paraguard doesn't stop periods. (Although it is considered highly effective and medically safe, especially for women over 35 and those with high BP, risk of heart attack, stroke, etc)

[Trail_Name]

wow uncalled for. we'll die out? care to explain that one? if women are already getting rid of them before our bodies have evolved to do it on its own, and people arent dying as a direct result, then your assinine and unneccesary argument is inherently flawed. a couple people already commented on their doctors opinions of the danger of doing this.
my guess is i mentioned evolution and youre some religion that just gets pissed when you see someone mention evolution. just my guess. either way, dont be a dick. just answer questions appropriately and dont bring drama into posts. it clutters up the flow of information and defeats the purpose of even being here.

I think what kanga was trying to say is that periods normally contain an unfertilized egg, along with the material that assists in helping this egg to grow into a fetus, and that it is difficult to imagine how the female reproductive system could evolve in such a way that eggs could be released for fertilization every month, but not leave the body in some form (i.e., the period.) I don't really understand how birth control deals with all of that (is the egg simply not released? Someone may be able to help me out here...)


However, I don't think comments like "maybe one day we will evolve enough that 100% of men will have both a dick and a brain" are very constructive, either; that kind of comment is as offensive to me as "i say if a woman can cut that out, more power to ya. but be warned ladies, once you get rid of that, there are no "that time of the month" excuses!! " although I realize you were trying to make a joke. Both comments can be perceived as gender discrimination, and I appreciate both genders.

[kanga]

luckily, i don't give a **** how people interpret my comments.

[Chaco Taco]

I gotta say that this is a pretty serious issue for females, esp on the trail during the summer months. Im not trying to act like I know anything but having hiked with a female, this was def an issue during the heat. Fatigue was def in play. We had another hiker that pretty much stopped her period, but I assume she was going the BC route. As a guy, I think this is a major issue and isn't something like tonsils or appendix. As much strain that is being put on the body in general, let your body do what it is going to do and adapt. DOnt take something that is going to change the natural course of your body. Just deal with it.

[Graceful]

I don't really understand how birth control deals with all of that (is the egg simply not released? Someone may be able to help me out here...)

Birth control stops the release of the egg because it makes your body think you are pregnant. The body naturally stops releasing eggs while pregnant and sometimes while breastfeeding. For some it also increases mucus slowing sperm down.

I am planning a thru-hike that will start in April of 2012. I plan to continue my BC because I take my BC for reasons in addition to not becoming pregnant (Anemia being one of those reasons). I may even skip every other month, however because of the risk of break through bleeding and not wanting to deal with that mess in the woods, I will not skip more.

Additionally, I find the comments about letting nature take its course and not interfering with natural body chemistry to be ridiculous. One can not begin to comment on how another person handles their own body and issues, having never dealt with their issues. Just sayin'!

[mrclean417]

HA! Someone opined on the internet and you think anyone should be limited in their ability to comment on it?

Thats funny

[barks]

When was the last time you went into a store and found jeans in only one cut and only one size? It doesn't happen because everyone's body is shaped a bit differently. Much the same can be said of body chemistry. What works for one person may work for another, or it might not. BC is one clear example.

My cycle has always been irregular. According to doctors, part of that is probably due to the fact that i'm a very active person. When i went to boot camp, i was encouraged to go on BC because it would put me on some sort of schedule AND help minimize the inconvenience of having it by allowing me to occasionally skip having a period (and anyone who's been through any kind of boot camp, operational training, or deployment will tell you that menstruation one helluva massive inconvenience).

So long story short, i started taking the pill and went three months with no period before i decided to take a break. After that, i stuck to a schedule of taking breaks once every two months. I'm not on BC at the moment because i haven't gone on any long trips recently and i'm too lazy to go get a refill, but i have to say that i plan on getting those refills before i start backpacking this spring.

It's not for everyone, but it's a lifesaver for others. Making room in your pack for a ton of tampons is just one pain in the butt among many. If you don't like the idea of taking birth control in order to skip your period, then don't do it. If you want to and your doctor says it's okay, then give it a go and see if it floats your boat. Whichever choice you make is up to you and no one else.

[GlassSunrise413]

I noticed that no one mentioned the shot...wouldn't that be a good option for some??

[Doc Mike]

i noticed that no one mentioned the shot...wouldn't that be a good option for some??

yes...............

[Graceful]

I noticed that no one mentioned the shot...wouldn't that be a good option for some??

It might be if they were already on it and new how their body would react. This is not something I would recommend starting and then heading into the woods. Some women bleed for the entire 3 months and up to a year if they continue getting the shot. And when I say bleed I don't mean heavy but definitely not convenient.

[PinkRaven]

I personally am in the anti-hormone camp. I don't like to put hormones in my body that my body does not create.
A "natural sponge" (not the synthetic sponges), are much more absorptive than cotton tampons. You can rinse them out with drinking water. You can boil them if you want to reuse them.
I have VERY HEAVY periods but on the trail, I think I will be happy with my home made sponge choice.

You'll want to cut the sponge into usable size pieces. It's very eco-friendly if you reuse them (with proper sterilization just in case). They can also be disposable if that's how you'd like to use them.
PinkRaven

[ckwolf]

I would just love to be post menopausal BUT...I did some research and there are real dangers to women over forty, and even for women under forty these things are not entirely benign for all, sure most of us do fine but do you want to be one of the ones joining the class action lawsuits pending against manufacturers? just sayin...