how to delay
 

This is too personal to mention, but any ladies out there know any method of delaying the monthly period? I can't be on oral contraceptive due to medical condition. I want to enjoy my Greek vacation, swimming and snorkeling etc, but I am afraid its ruined.

It would seem to be more appropriate to ask your MD than to ask this question on a travel board.

I think the contraceptive pill is the only way. I can't take it on a long term basis either, because it raises my blood pressure. However, since you only need to take it from about three days before your period is due to start until a couple of days before you actually want it to start, I have taken it (with my GP's approval)for up to 3 weeks at a time whilst on holiday. My only problem was water retention and if I were to do it again, I'd try and plan ahead in order to schedule my period before I went away and avoid looking like a bloated whale by the last week of my holiday! It does depend on your own medical condition though, so do as the previous poster says and see your doctor!

An alternative to delaying the natural event is to deal with its interfering with your water sports. Why not use a tampon or a diaphragm?

Suzy, that's all very well if there happens to be a toilet close by, or you don't mind constantly trekking back and forth to your villa/hotel room, but on most Greek beaches I've been to, the only option for "dealing with it" would be by finding a handy bush to squat behind! Apologies btw to xxx and anyone else who might find this thread either embarrassing or distasteful, but since it concerns most female travellers between the ages of 12 and 55, I think it deserves addressing.

Yikes, Elaine, if Suzy's suggestion can't get you thru a few hours, I think you've got a, er, bigger situation to deal with than most women.

This is a travel site, not an Ob-Gyn site! Please, take your questions to your doctor as previously suggested.

To shh - like I said in my previous post, this is a perfectly valid travel question, which affects a lot of women travellers and I think that finding alternative ways of how other women cope with the situation is far more useful than visiting a doctor, who will probably just say that you either can or can't take a contraceptive pill.<BR>To Jen - I'm not aware that my situation as you put it is any bigger than most, but ime, when using a tampon to swim in, I've found that the cord acts like a wick, soaking water into the tampon and causing it to need changing far more frequently than usual. I'm also a little concerned about the effectiveness of a diaphragm, because when it's used for its original purpose, you're supposed to smother it in spermicide to kill off any that leak in. So surely (unless it's a perfect fit) if it can leak one way, surely it can leak the other way too? Or am I being over cautious? Would it be a fool-proof solution for somebody like me, who likes to take a packed lunch to the beach and stay there from 9 in the morning until 5 in the afternoon? If so, I'm willing to give it a try!

Sorry, "shhh," this IS a travel issue, not primarily a medical one (unless it's specifically about BC pills). <BR><BR>OK, girls, the secret to wearing a tampon while swimming is to tuck in the string, so it's not hanging out, but is still, um, retrievable. For diaphragms, a well-fitted one won't "leak" enough to matter to a swimmer, though it might matter for contraception. (Gee, I sure hope the guys have abandoned this thread before now!)<BR><BR>

Suzy is correct - if the sting is not exposed it does not act as a wick, Another trick my GYN gave me years ago was to use 2 tampons. Take two regular tampons and squeeze them together and insert them - this is much more absorbant than a super heavy duty one. Unless you are on the beach for 10 hours straight this should work for you.

I believe your doctor can give you a shot to bring it on sooner (as in within a day or two), rather than delay it. It's the "honeymoon" shot, for brides who realize they didn't count correctly.

Isn't this little discussion special!<BR><BR>US

Suzy & Janis - Thanks for the tip about "tucking in" - I shall certainly give that one a go next time I need to!<BR>Elaine - the shot you mentioned sounds extremely useful, but I'm not sure if it's available in the UK - I got married last year and as it was virtually four weeks between our wedding day and our return from honeymoon, I needed a little help, but the only thing my doctor suggested was the contraceptive pill.

2 words: Navajo hair.

Uncle Sam,<BR>How nice that you found this "special" discussion fascinating enough to follow along this far, and aren't self-conscious about being the only male who makes a point of letting us know.

OK, I'm absolutely intrigued by the Navajo hair, even though I've no idea how I'd get hold of it over here. But what on earth are you supposed to do with it? Eat it? Make tea from it? Smoke it? Or roll it into a ball and (ahem) "tuck it in"? Please elaborate, Stan's Mom.

If you use 2 tampons, you better remember that because I once removed one and forgot about the other one. The obs-gyn ended up removing it.

Have you considered postposing your trip until after menopause of getting pregnant before you go - either will work.

...or have your uterus removed. For me it's been 12 carefree heavenly years.

If you use two tampons, insert one first, the second one will rest directly against the first one. (Think of two spoons, one sits inside the other.) Tie the strings of both together, which takes a minor degree of dexterity & a little patience. Tuck the strings in. When you go to remove them, locate the string & pull down on ONE string only! One will come out before the other, which will be much more comfortable for you.

Now, is this over yet? <BR><BR>There must be a lot of very polite and classy men out there who have resisted the temptation to start their own thread on a man's personal "perfectly valid travel question". I congratulate you and thank you.

Oh, I thought this thread was meant to balance the thread that was started by the constipated guy.

Well said Suzy! I don't recall any complaints about the "personal" nature of that question, nor anybody insisting that the questions about jet lag pills should be directed to a doctor. So I don't understand what the fuss is about this one. Are women not allowed to discuss matters that only apply to their own sex, for fear of offending the poor, delicate male readers? Next thing you know they'll be saying we shouldn't discuss restaurants that serve meat dishes, in case it upsets vegetarians, or that nobody should ask what sort of shoes are recommended for walking, in case wheelchair-bound travellers take offence. In any case, I'm still waiting to hear about the Navajo hair!

What I recommend is called a Keeper. When I used to use one it lasted for 24 hours. Now they don't reccommend that but the day should be fine. Check it out at http://www.keeper.com/

There you go! No more improvising with a diaphragm.

Isn't there any class and decorum left among "ladies"?<BR><BR>My suggestion after all this "personal" getting in touch with each other is to just put a plug in it (pun intended) and save this kind of personal conversation for elsewhere!

Uncle Sam, the title of the thread was delicately and carefully worded so as not to offend. This topic is about travel, whether you like it, find it relevant or not. Don't show your chauvinistic attitude by daring to say we have no right to talk about this. We women have seen enough threads on here about male constipation, Mr. Hanky, "are European women easy" etc. all of them reduced to vulgarity, which you won't find on this thread. <BR><BR>I can understand opening this thread to find out what it was about, but I can't understand why, when you realized you could contribute nothing of value to it, you didn't just go away.<BR><BR>But then you seldom contribute anything of value and, God knows, you refuse to go away.

Geta,<BR><BR>You have all the right in the world, what you do not apparently have is the decorum.<BR><BR>US

So, let me get this straight...Uncle Sam is now the final arbiter on what is and is not acceptable polite behavior on this forum? Suddenly the bull in the china shop is making the rest of us tread more carefully? Why not just change your name to King Sam and get it over with?!?

Sam - You're obviously seeing "red" after reading this thread. Don't let the ideas of others "stain" your views.<BR>"Soak up" all notions presented; don't be "crotch"ety about this. Either go with the "flow" and imagine a happier "time of the month", or "put a plug in it!"

I am a woman and I can't understand why you are asking total strangers these questions. Yes, I did read all the messages--but almost in amazement. No matter what you think of your M. D. he/she is a better source of information. At least ask your friends (if you have any)--not total strangers.

Auntie Flo,<BR><BR>You're funny...LOL here!<BR><BR>Monarchy,<BR><BR>Get a life and get over it! BTW, it's obviously easy to get your goat... in the future don't let everyone know where you parked it!<BR><BR>And right, this is really about "travel"

Jennie, as a fellow woman, I really can't understand your attitude. This very issue was discussed quite openly on UK national tv recently, without causing any apparent offence or embarrassment. The programme (Survivor)was about a group of people stranded on a desert island for a month and it transpired that all the female contestants had decided to take the oral contraceptive for the duration of their stay. This followed a (televised) incident in last year's show, when one of the contestants started her period during an endurance test and was forced by another female contestant to just stand there and put up with it. I have discussed this issue in the past with both my friends and my doctor, but none of them came up with any suggestions, other than the contraceptive pill and, from the wording of the original question, I presume that the OP has had a similar response. Things may be different in the US, where, I assume, MDs are paid per visit. However here in the UK that's not the case and, unless you're lucky enough to have an extremely helpful female GP who has experienced the same dilemma, then the general attitude would most likely be that if you can't (or don't wish to) take the pills, then that's just tough - "go away and stop bothering me with such trivial matters". After all, this is not, strictly speaking, a medical condition - it's a perfectly natural function, not really any different from the ones that both sexes have to perform several times a day. Nobody (ime at any rate) gets embarrassed or offended if someone says that they need to visit the loo (or seeks advice on how to deal with constipation), so why should we get embarrassed or be accused of lacking decorum for discussing this?<BR>Anyway, thanks to other posters for their useful and constructive suggestions - I'm still intrigued about the Navajo hair though!

Sorry, Jennie, but I agree with Elaine -- this isn't really a medical question. Just as our many discussions on this board about shoes aren't more appropriate for a podiatrist, unless there's a genuine medical issue.

Suzy, are you saying that talking about shoes is in the same league as this topic? This is Fodors - a travel website. This topic, although connected to travel in a very personal way, IMHO, does not really belong on this site. I agree with Jennie - these questions should be discussed with your own friends or family, in person, or with a doctor. Pay the co-payment fee and be done with it.

Sorry to show my ignorance again (Navajo hair???), but what's a co-payment fee? And can't any objectors come up with any ORIGINAL suggestions - I thought I'd already covered the issue about asking friends/doctors?

A co-payment fee is what HMOs charge you for going to the doctor for a visit. It's usually just $5 or $10, but it discourages people from showing up for every little thing.<BR><BR>Yes, IMHO this IS in the same league as talking about shoes -- a traveler is confronted with a situation that they wouldn't encounter at home, that could interfere with enjoying their trip. <BR><BR>Why would friends and family be a more appropriate source for this information than the gals here, who have provided several excellent suggestions?

This is at LEAST as appropriate as asking how to keep ears or colon unplugged, what to do with a filthy cold while traveling, how to get laid in Europe, where to ogle topless women, whether to strangle crying babies, whether fat people deserve to live.<BR><BR>And at last Uncle Sam as outted himself as someone who loves having goats. Or perhaps he's just an old goat himself.<BR><BR>Dear woman-with-monthly -- I hope you are able to take advantage of whatever you have learned about here. Next time, try to schedule at least 2 weeks of vacation, so you'll still have at least 10 days to enjoy -- and 3-4 days to sit in the sun pampering yourself and getting a little potzed on ouzo.

I wish all the negative people would just stay away. If only our doctors were as helpful as they are supposed to be. I had the same problem 2 years ago while on vacation in Greece, remote beach and no facilities. Didn't think of doubling up. But one question. How about the danger of Toxic Shock?

Why not plan your vacation AROUND your period?!<BR><BR>Geez, grow a brain!!