{"id":19840,"date":"2021-08-04T08:15:37","date_gmt":"2021-08-04T06:15:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/?p=19840"},"modified":"2021-08-04T08:19:14","modified_gmt":"2021-08-04T06:19:14","slug":"beach-bound-heres-your-guide-to-menstruation-on-vacation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.intimina.com\/blog\/beach-bound-heres-your-guide-to-menstruation-on-vacation\/","title":{"rendered":"Beach-bound? Here\u2019s Your Guide to Menstruation on Vacation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Whether you live to surf or love to lounge, is there anything better than spending most of your summer at the beach? We don\u2019t think so! Of course, our period has an annoying way of interrupting our best-laid beach plans. But your cycle doesn\u2019t need to stop fun on the sun<\/a> if you follow our tips for menstruation on vacation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hydrate<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This might not be the advice you expected but trust us, it\u2019s important! As your estrogen and progesterone levels recede, at the start of your period, your body starts to retain water. That\u2019s where that UGH bloating feeling can come from during your period. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And while it may not make you feel great about being in a bathing suit, bloating doesn\u2019t just make you feel yucky. This retention of water means you\u2019re a little dehydrated and coupled with a day in the hot sun, is a recipe for heat exhaustion or worse. Make sure you\u2019re hydrating all day, <\/a>and while juices and sodas are better than nothing at all, water really is your best choice for most of your water intake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pick the Right Protection <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are a ton of different types of period protection, all with their own pros and cons. Here are just some of your options!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pads<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pads are a classic, and great if you\u2019re less than comfortable wearing anything inside your vagina. Unfortunately, you can\u2019t swim while wearing a pad as they are made to suck up moisture outside your vagina. Which at the beach means\u2026.the ocean. Even if you don\u2019t swim, most pads have sticky \u2018wings\u2019 which are meant to stick onto the outside of your underwear, so they\u2019re not exactly the most subtle of choices. But, if you\u2019re less into swimsuits and more into sunsets, a pad will be fine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tampons<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tampons<\/a> are worn inside your vagina to collect menstrual flow, which makes them both great options for swimming! However, if you need to change your tampon, that can sometimes be a little tricky if there isn\u2019t a bathroom at the beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Menstrual Cups<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A menstrual cup is also a type of internally worn period protection that collects your flow before it ever leaves<\/a> your body. But unlike tampons, menstrual cups have much more capacity<\/a>, which means you can wear your cup for longer without leaks. It\u2019s our fave option for beach days that last for hours! Plus, because you reuse your cup, you won\u2019t be left hunting for a place to throw it away if you do need to empty it at the beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Always Bring Extras<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whichever period protection you choose, make sure you have some backups packed in your beach bag. There\u2019s nothing worse than being caught outside the house without your preferred period protection, but at least at school or work you can find a store or friend with some extra. Not always so at the beach! Period products like tampons or pads don\u2019t \u2018go bad\u2019, so even if you don\u2019t use them for most of your periods, it doesn\u2019t hurt to have an emergency one in your bag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bring a Bathroom Bag<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s talk more about your beach bag! It probably has your sunscreen in it, a towel, Bluetooth speaker, your beach read, change of clothes, snacks, water…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A whole lot of everything, in other words! This is why we suggest packing a smaller, closable bag in your beach bag. In it, you can keep that emergency period protection we mentioned (may we suggest Lily Cup Compact<\/a>?) but that\u2019s not all! We also suggest packing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n