help! need advice for doing 585 mile ride during menstruation

[Irulan]

a depo shot will eliminate your periods I think

if it were me, I'd buy a box of super plus tampons and box of baby wipes and not deal with a keeper in a porta potti situation. Porta pottie are some of the most disgusting things on earth most of the time.

irulan

[drplasma64]

Or use the Insteads which are disposable...maybe you can keep them in longer than tampons.

[bikerz]

You're not on birth control and you know exactly when you will have your period in, like, a year's time? That is just so very far from my own experience. Heck, if it weren't for PMS I'd never know when I was due...

Ha! I just got tired of always being caught by surprise, and then thinking - oh - so THAT'S why I was so grouchy yesterday! So I've been tracking the dates in Outlook, and lo and behold, I'm as regular as clockwork.

a depo shot will eliminate your periods I think

I haven't seen much about the depo shot in my searching, and I don't know anything about it (I play for the "other team", so birth control has never been a pressing issue for me) Thanks for the suggestion - I'll add it to my research list...

[DirtDiva]

I tried tracking dates for, like, three years before admitting defeat and ceasing to bother. As long as I can remember when the last one was I don't tend to get too surprised.

[eofelis]

I have used the ultra-thin, extra-long, with-wings pads for riding at that time of the month. I just stick them right on to the chamois of my shorts. Works fine. I carry a couple extra pads in my rack trunk for long rides. With a wet wipe and a baggie for trash I can even make a pad change behind a bush along the road.

[SalsaMTB]

If you have 9 months to adjust it, you'll be fine. My sister actually started the pill about 4 months before her wedding because she estimated she would be starting on their honeymoon. It turned out OK for her. Since you have never been on the pill, I would give yourself 2 months just for your body to adjust to the change (I became very irratable and had headaches the first month or two when I started but each person is different). So that leaves you 7 months to adjust which is more than enough time. Honestly, I wouldn't be concerned about skipping your period with the pill. My dr. actually said to do it for my wedding. I did it a few months ahead of time so my cycle was reset and I wouldn't have to play with it the month of the wedding. When I skipped, I didn't spot, had no sign of bloat etc, it was just like any other week. I'm not really sure how you could adjust your period with the pill without skipping the week. I know I accidentally ended my sugar pill week early by one day, so now my cycle is off one day. I guess you could take that route, but that would just take a really long time. I would recommend just skipping a week assuming your dr says it's ok a couple months prior the the ride.

If you do go this route, I would also recommend starting ASAP to get your body adjusted to the pill. Like I said, it took me 2 months to feel normal when I first started. It will vary for people, but it doesn't hurt to give yourself some extra time. Also, each pill can react differently, so you may or may not need to go through a trial stage before finding the right one.