Being female post SHTF

[ABR]

Not sure if this is the correct place, so Mods feel free to move it.

So I got to thinking about it the other day. Most females between the ages of 12-50 menstruate and/or use some type of hormonal birth control. Obviously humans will likely not become completely celibate when SHTF nor will females stop menstruating. Birth control is not as much of an issue unless they use it to help mitigate symptoms of another medical issue. Feminine hygiene can be accomplished thru cloth pads and menstrual cups but it is not going to be easy for many to adapt as females today have gotten used to the convenience of single-use pads/tampons. The main issue I see is pain management for females who have things like PCOS and Endometriosis and overall painful cycles as a result of all of the hormones and chemicals in our diet.

I know what my general plan is for management of these things but as someone who has a history of debilitating cycles, I'm concerned with a situation where we have to stay on the move.

So my question for the ladies (and gentlemen with ladies in their lives) is what is your plan for feminine cycles after SHTF?

 

[TENNGRIZZ]

Defense and safety are more important the other stuff can be figured out on the fly.

 

[Haertig]

We're a bit out of my area of knowledge here, but with the potential for Toxic Shock Syndrome I would think that any thoughts of a "homemade tampon" would be out. Maybe even commercial tampons should go on the "find something else" list, to be safe.

 

[jazzy]

this is an important consideration in many aspects including the on the move scenario that may occur. or just after shtf . got to take into consideration physical needs. chronic pain is not something that can be ignored, not for long anyway.

at some point the tampon thing wont be a good idea cause in a shortage or crazy times, there may be a tendency to try to use them longer. its human nature but not a good idea.

theres washable liners that can be used. also free instructions online to make them. smart to have some on hand before actually needed..

also need to try to stock up on the pain relief that works the best and any alternative treatments. if one relys on say a heating pad, maybe get a couple old fashioned hot water bottles. or maybe even some of the pocket warmers--

it is smart to watch the fertility cycle---the best ive seen over the decades is called the billings ovulation method. yup, the body sends signals every day as to where in the cycle one is, when one is approaching the fertile time and ovulation and when it is over and one is no longer fertile and cant get pregnant. very good to learn.

good question abr, lots of challenges coming our way.

 

[Sourdough]

Why not "NOW" have ten thousand of everything you will ever need post SHTF.

 

[Morgan101]

I believe we are past that issue, but I have left that to my wife. We have discussed it, and I have been very honest in telling her I have no idea what she really needs, so she should be aware, and plan accordingly. Buy what you need, and store it where you can access it readily.

Her meds, and they are substantial, I would put in this same category.

 

[bkt]

Years ago, Selco Begovic posted on a survival forum about his time in Bosnia from 1992 to 1995. This was a true SHTF situation and he and his family endured tremendous hardships and loss. You can read a subset of that post here: How I survived a year of SHTF in 90s Bosnia

In that thread (or in its many comments) Selco mentioned that barter items were hugely important since money was meaningless. Among the preferred barter items were tampons and condoms.

As Morgan101 above said, buy what you will need now and stash it away. Meds are difficult since they have a use-by date. You will need to research this and determine if there's a way to provide solutions yourself, probably herbal remedies. Humanity managed to survive long before big pharma came into our lives, but we will need to re-learn what our ancestors knew.

 

[dademoss]

Avoid scented products. Tampons and pads in the US are a medical device, and will carry an expiration date. Pads are generally good for at least 5 years. After a long time, the adhesives can start to fail, so they won't stick like they used too. Keep them in a cool dry place, like everything else. Neither are packed "Sterile", but are made under clean conditions. If it's green or moldy, dont use it

 

[Pearl]

Only one female chimed in on this so far

 

[Haertig]

In my EMT course back in college, one of the things we students did was stock ourselves a good emergency kit. One of the options was military trauma pads for bandaging large bleeding wounds. Most of us opted for the cheaper alternative - heavy duty feminine pads. To this day, I still stock my jump box (medical supplies) with these. An item that can be used for multiple different things.

 

[elkhound]

Only one female chimed in on this so far

get to typing !

as a crew boss working in the woods and having mostly female crew i relied on them to tell me exactly what they needed. no generic terms on products if i went after them.

one of my best friends was sent on a fire and had to be packed in matter of couple hours. she came to me telling she needed female products and could i run to town and get her some and was i to embarrassed to buy them . i said heck no.. i told he to write down exactly what she wanted,then #2 choice and then #3 choice. so there i stood in cut off work pants..meaning no hemmed bottoms and hickory work shirt buying surfboards and tampons. i got back just in time to give them to her for several week fire duty.

i always kept govt issued back up surf boards/liners in our rig just in case. i can imagine they were about like govt issued toilet paper and paper towels. cheap and not much count. i have on idea.

all day,every day working in woods situations happen.

 

[ABR]

Interesting replies so far. Keep them coming!

I have a good stock of pads and tampons as well as a menstrual cup. I'm currently looking for a good design for washable pads.

I also have a good supply of Ibuprofen, although I only take it as a last resort. I use my heating pad a lot so the hot water bottle is a good idea! I'll start looking for good ones.

For birth control methods we use natural family planning and common sense. So we're good there.

 

[Magpie]

I would think the stress and change of diet in a sudden SHTF scenario would make it a non-issue for quite a while? My initial concern would be the smell of blood attracting animals to a camp etc.

 

[Patchouli]

No longer a concern for me but washable reusable homemade pads can be made, cloth ones purchased. I’ve seen them but can’t remember websites.
I used to use bayberry capsules and cayenne capsules to help with heavy bleeding and bad cramps. Took 2 bayberry capsules every 4 hours during the pain, accompanied by one cayenne. Also used cayenne in tincture form and bayberry teabags if I didn’t have capsules. Stress can mess up the cycle. Drinking red raspberry leaf tea helped but didn’t see results until consistent use over a month or so. You wanted to know, hope this helps. Tinctures shelf life is much longer than dried herb.

 

[Patchouli]

Using birth control pills isn’t necessarily the best thing as far as what it can do during the bleed time. Unless the woman is used to taking it, getting used to it, it too can cause heavy bleeding, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting.
But oh fun, no one mentioned PMS.

 

[backlash]

Women did without them for thousands of years so I guess they'll figure it out.
I'm also sure millions of women do without them now.

 

[Weedygarden]

I'm way past that. We have a genetic thing in my family for pre-mature menopause. Daughter is past it too. I haven't had anything for this in my home in a long while, except a bin of flannel and cotton quilting to make reusable pads. I'm sure that there will be people out there in need, although that is not how I have prepared. I usually prepare for my family and me.

 

[joel]

According to DW women used grass, the cloth, until better thing came alone.
Dr. Jordan Peterson talked about this man & how he refused to sale his machine to big business.. He made the machine available to common people at cost.
Arunachalam Muruganantham (Padman) is a social entrepreneur from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, India. He is the inventor of a low-cost sanitary pad-making machine and is credited for innovating grassroots mechanisms for generating awareness about traditional unhygienic practices around menstruation in rural India. His mini-machines, which can manufacture sanitary pads for less than a third of the cost of commercial pads, have been installed in 23 of the 29 states of India in rural areas. He is currently planning to expand the production of these machines to 106 nations.[1] The movie Period. End of Sentence. won the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) for the year 2018. The 2018 Hindi film Pad Man was made on his invention, where he was portrayed by Akshay Kumar.

 

[Caribou]

I knew a gal that was born and raised in bush Alaska. It was her mother herself and her siblings. Once in awhile her father would fly in for a visit. It might me a month or his visit might be over a year. Needless to say, there were no stores for over a hundred miles. She used rabbit pelts.

 

[SoJer]

...pain management for females who have things like PCOS and Endometriosis.... currently looking for a good design for washable pads...

Fwiw: Stock-up on as Many analgesics (ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin, etc, etc) as you can afford / make Space-for (will be good for 'trade', also..) and x-small Cotton Diapers / velcro / sewing-kits, for when the 'commercial pads', run out. Easy to 'cut to size' / tailor 'fasteners', etc, etc..

And, in the 'alt-pain management' category, Highly (heh) recommend "Canna Butter", for topical application. Works really well for the 'monthly bill' (according to Wife / Daughter..) and, though I can't directly-speak to the 'Uterus-side of things' works well for Me on even Deep muscle / joint pain.. Super-easy to make / LTS, and Can even be used for "other" pain-management techniques ("magik Brownies" / cookies, etc

Well-worth taking exception to the "legalities" (Carefully / wisely, of course.. ) for the unmatched Medicinal-value. MJ is simply a marvelous plant, with a plethora of 'non-stoner' applications & benefits.

jd

 

[BBLife]

One plant that was used for centuries ... Lambs Ear

 

[Dani]

I knew a gal that was born and raised in bush Alaska. It was her mother herself and her siblings. Once in awhile her father would fly in for a visit. It might me a month or his visit might be over a year. Needless to say, there were no stores for over a hundred miles. She used rabbit pelts.

I'm not sure how rabbit pellets would help unless the Alaskan rabbits poop out way differently than the ones here in Texas. My suggestion would be a natural only sea sponge that can be washed and sanitized after each usage.

 

[jazzy]

amazon has a good selection of washable pads and the price is not bad. theres a variety of makers, materiel , styles, etc. id think that would be a great barter item at some point too. and diaper pins. you can do a heck of a lot with diaper pins.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=womans+c...ns+cloth+pads+washable,aps,285&ref=nb_sb_noss

and dont forget how things like this can help as women get older and may have to deal with hmmmm.occasional potential leakage, especially when laughing hilariously at what the latest lefty lies as they come up with excuses as to why there are no womans personal products.
must be putins fault.

 

[SoJer]

I'm not sure how rabbit pellets would help unless the Alaskan rabbits poop out way differently than the ones here in Texas. ..

Ahh, very cute, Dani.. You get a 'Bro hug' for that one... Pretty sure Caribou was talking about...

(...not that yer not 100% Spot-on about 'pellets', mind you.. As "pads", pellets would be, uh... Not so 'effective', methinks...

jd

 

[Dani]

Wouldn't that be pelts? not pellets.

 

[SoJer]

Wouldn't that be pelts? not pellets.

Yess'm:

I knew a gal that was born and raised in bush Alaska. ...She used rabbit pelts.

He said Pelts, and it - seems - like you thought he said Pellets.. Which would, obviously, not be as 'effective'.

Or am I just here? (which is entirely plausible..

jd

 

[The Lazy L]

... An item that can be used for multiple different things.

I recently watched a video by Survival Lilly. She made several attempts to bow start a fire and her tinder was too wet (uncooperative weather). After several attempts she pulled out a tampon from her pocket and used part of the cotton for a successful fire.

 

[lilmissy]

Your best bet would be to learn how to use a diva cup. You can also stock up on cotton material and quilt batting. I also think all women should have a stand to pee. Love mine, . Works perfect out in the woods, no tp required.

 

[Dani]

Yess'm:


He said Pelts, and it - seems - like you thought he said Pellets.. Which would, obviously, not be as 'effective'.

Or am I just here? (which is entirely plausible..

jd

Oh heck apparently I'm the crazy one! I so read pellets last night. . . Obviously I needed to put on my glasses!!

 

[Neb]

My grandmother just used a rag at least that is what I believe.

Spoiler: Gross story. Read at tour own risk.

I was visiting my grandparents and surprised my grandmother as she was standing in the kitchen and checking her rag. I didn't see much as she quickly adjusted to a 6 year old suddenly in the kitchen. What freaked me out was ahe was standing by the stove stirring her world famous spaghetti sauce.

It was only years latter that I figured out that the rag had nothing to do with the spaghetti sauce when my father made the sauce and taught me secret ingredient was coca cola

.

Additional data point
I had a friend in high school that would warn people saying

Don't give me no crap, I am on the rag.

My 2 cents

Ben