Maybe TMI... For ladies only...

[TriCathy]

I will be doing the HIM ( my first) next month and I am concerned that I may be expecting a woman s day either on my race day or the day before. What would you do if you are expecting a woman's day? any suggestions? :(

[Wahine]

I use the Diva Cup for my menses and it works great. Here is a link (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=2010&highlight=diva) to a thread here on TE about it.

I have other tri friends that still use tampons and will usually just change their tampons during T2 or on the run if needed.

Remember, this is your first HIM and as long as you finish, it will be a PR so taking a minute out of your race to take care of things is no big deal.

[zoom-zoom]

I never had any luck with the reusable menstrual cups and after trying 2 decided it was too expensive to keep experimenting. I do really like the disposable Instead cups, though. They are good for about 12 hours and I don't have leaky issues or feel like they're going to fall out (unlike the issues I had with the Diva and Mooncups).

[Wahine]

I never had any luck with the reusable menstrual cups and after trying 2 decided it was too expensive to keep experimenting. I do really like the disposable Instead cups, though. They are good for about 12 hours and I don't have leaky issues or feel like they're going to fall out (unlike the issues I had with the Diva and Mooncups).

This is interesting Zoom zoom. I would suspect that the issues were related to your very anteriorly rotated pelvis. Certainly anatomy plays a roll. It took me a while to learn to get the Diva cup in right so I didn't have any leaking. (It helps if you read through ALL the instructions :o). But I will never go back now.

[zoom-zoom]

This is interesting Zoom zoom. I would suspect that the issues were related to your very anteriorly rotated pelvis. Certainly anatomy plays a roll. It took me a while to learn to get the Diva cup in right so I didn't have any leaking. (It helps if you read through ALL the instructions :o). But I will never go back now.

Yup, I suspect the pelvis thing, too. I have a tipped uterus, so I know stuff in there is shifted around weirdly. I tried a large Diva cup and I think the smaller Mooncup (US). The large Diva cup always made me feel like I had a softball in my hooha and the Mooncup leaked. After blowing $80 on those things I didn't really see the benefit. Plus I had thermal ablation years ago, so most of the time I only spot enough to really need a pantyliner. I'll use a tampon for runs or rides on my "heavier" days. If I'm doing a particularly long run or ride, then the Instead is the route I go. I can't feel a thing when I have one of those inserted and they don't leak at all.

[roo4]

Woman's Day? Every day is a woman's day for me.

If you mean that you will be having your menstrual period on that day, you can use one tampon and expect to perhaps bleed into your tri shorts. Most of them are padded and black, so it won't show. Some women who run marathons prefer to use two tampons (side by side, not on top of each other). You can also ask the RD if there is a changing room/restroom for use during T2. This is uncommon, but it's worth an email.

[emily_in_nc]

Also, if you are having very heavy flow on the day of the race, I believe that Tampax now makes an "Ultra" absorbency tampon, which is a level up from the Super Plus. Not available everywhere, but I remember seeing them right before we left the US.

[MojoGrrl]

This may be totally different from your situation, but just in case anyone is interested and doesn't already know: if you are on birth control pills, you can take your active hormone pills continuously (don't do the placebo week) and not get periods at all. I've been doing it for years. That's pretty much why I stay on the pill - I could use something else for birth control, but I like not getting periods.