Traveling on your PERIOD: Why to use a menstrual cup while traveling
Why women should use a menstrual cup while traveling
Let’s face it, periods have no respect for your travel plans and “Aunt Flow” loooooves to show up unannounced. If you’re traveling on your period, consider packing a menstrual cup, which is affordable, comfortable, and convenient. As a very frequent traveler, I can personally attest to traveling with my reusable menstrual cup dozens of times, from Jordanian hiking adventures to Mexican jungle camping trips. I love them so much that I include it in my Travel Gear Guide and highlight them on the packing lists for group tours that I lead around the world!
Read on to learn why women should use menstrual cups while traveling, including pros and cons of menstrual cups and details for how to choose a menstrual cup, how to use a menstrual cup, inserting a menstrual cup, removing a menstrual cup, cleaning a menstrual cup, sleeping with a menstrual cup, and camping with a menstrual cup.
Traveling on your period is not a big deal
Menstrual cups make travel more liberating
What’s a reusable menstrual cup?
Reusable menstrual cups are flexible funnel-shaped cups made of latex, rubber, or silicone that are inserted into the vagina to collect menstrual blood. Just like tampons, they can be worn overnight, while swimming, and during physical activities. This study found that reusable menstrual cups are just as effective – if not more effective – at preventing menstrual leaks than pads and tampons. The study found no adverse effects on vaginal flora from the menstrual cup, and no tissue damage in the vagina and cervix.
I’ve heard from friends that they can be worn during sex (please drop a comment below if you have experience with this). The cups collect blood, which is then discarded into the toilet, sink, or bathtub drain. Some women pour the blood into potted plants to nourish the soil. If you have experience with this, please drop a comment below, as I haven’t tried this myself.
Why female travelers should use a menstrual cup
Menstrual cups are the period management tool of choice for practical female travelers that don’t want to haul around a week’s worth of pads and tampons. You can pee, run, jump, sleep, and swim in menstrual cups and they’re especially handy for women heading to regions where feminine care products are hard to find. While researching a Cuba guidebook, I solo bike toured Cuba for several months, passing through tiny towns with zero feminine care products. Thank goodness for my DivaCup!
Maxi pads and tampons were life changing inventions when they first came out but feminine care products have evolved significantly in the past 10-15 years and every single female traveler should consider trying a reusable menstrual cup. Note that some menstrual cups are disposable so please read the package correctly to ensure you’re getting the right cup.
Here’s why women should try a menstrual cup while traveling:
Space-saving
Why take up valuable real estate in your bag to pack pads and tampons you may not even use. Just throw a menstrual cup into your toiletries bag, which takes up far less space than a box of tampons or pads.
Privacy
Maintain your privacy going through airport security instead of having staff and other passengers hovering over your stash of tampons and pads. No thank you!
Eco-Friendly
Soiled pads and tampons end up in landfills, while reusable menstrual cups produce zero waste.
Convenient
Menstrual cups hold much more blood than tampons and can stay in for up to 12 hours. They can also be used during extreme sports, swimming, camping.
Affordable
Considering most menstrual cups last 5-10 years, their $25-40 price tag is far than pads and tampons, which can cost $75-150 per year.
Maintain pH balance
Menstrual cups only collect the blood, they do not absorb liquid. Tampons, on the other hand, absorb all your vaginal fluid (not just blood), which can disturb the delicate pH and bacterial balance in your vagina.
No embarrassing odor
I’m not going to lie, a menstrual cup filled to the brim with fresh blood doesn’t smell great. However, once you dump the blood down the toilet, the smell is gone. Soiled pads, however, can stink up the garbage and cause embarrassment in your or someone else’s home.
Menstrual cups can be used during sports
Menstrual cups are perfect for hiking
How to use a reusable menstrual cup
Think it won’t fit? Think again. Most women don’t understand their own anatomy and worry that a menstrual cup won’t fit inside them. Actually, the cup is quite flexible and can be easily inserted.
Before you insert your menstrual cup
Wash your hands and the cup with soap and water so you don’t introduce foreign bacteria to your vagina. Lubricated menstrual cups are easier and more comfortable to insert than dry ones so run the rim under the tap water before inserting.
Inserting a menstrual cup
Pinch the cup with your fingers so it collapses a bit then slide it (cup side up) toward the back of your vagina. If the cup still feels folded up, rotate it a bit so it pops open to form a leak-proof seal. It’s that simple. If it feels painful – or if you can feel it at all – it’s probably not inserted far enough so push it in a bit further. Just like tampons, you shouldn’t even feel the cup inside.
Removing a menstrual cup
Don’t just yank the cup out or pull on the stem, which could make for a messy spill in the toilet. Instead, pinch the base and gently pull. Empty the fluid into the toilet, rinse the cup under tap water, then reinsert it.
Do I need to wear a pad with a menstrual cup?
Probably not. If you have a very heavy flow, have occasional leaks, or just want extra piece of mind, you may want to wear a thin panty liner. Some women just wear the liner on the first day or two of their periods while others prefer to wear it every day for extra backup.
How to clean your menstrual cup
Aim to clean your menstrual cup with soap and water a few times per day. At minimum, do this once per day (assuming you have access to soap and water). Though I don’t recommend it, I’ve worn my cup 24 hours a few times and have experienced no problems. After each cycle, boil the cup in hot water to sterilize it. I’ll admit that I went years before I began doing this but it’s recommended to avoid vaginal infections. You can also get a dedicated menstrual cup sterilizer or a handy portable menstrual cup sterilizer.
Diva Cup makes a nice DivaWash that doubles as face wash, body wash, and shaving gel. I have SUPER sensitive skin down there and can’t handle any colors or fragrances (even natural ones) in my soap so I opt for Dr. Bronner’s unscented castile soap. I find the liquid soap more convenient for camping/hiking trips but for regular trips, I bring Dr. Bronner’s unscented bar soaps.
Menstrual cups may develop a rust-colored tint and/or earthy funk smell after a while. Neither are harmful but if you find them off-putting, you can add a step to your usual monthly cup boil. A couple times per year, I soak my cup in peroxide overnight to naturally bleach the stain out. I also sometimes soak it in vinegar and baking soda to help clean it.
How long do reusable menstrual cups last?
Most menstrual cups last 8-10 years. Considering they only cost about $25-40, it’s an astoundingly cheap investment. Most women spend that much on tampons and maxi pads within a few months. My first Diva Cup lasted about 5 years. Though the cup itself remained intact, the small stem at the bottom broke off and removal because difficult and messy. I’ve had my current cup for over 5 years.
Camping with a menstrual cup
I totally understand why the thought of sticking a little cup inside you while camping, when you may not have access to proper bathrooms, might seem a bit gross. I used to feel the same. I then realized that’s exactly what you do with a tampon so what’s the difference? If you don’t have access to running water, you can wash your hands (before and after) with hand sanitizer, hand wipes, or with bottled water.
Ideally, you’d rinse off the cup every time you empty it, but I’ve been on countless camping and hiking trips where I went days without running water. In those cases, I typically rinsed it off with filtered water or bottled water once per day. Collapsible water bottles are especially handy here.
If you plan on camping, heading on a road trip, or attending a music festival where you won’t have regular access to running water, consider packing extra clean water with you to clean your cup. You don’t want to use dirty water (even if it looks clean – think river water) that may introduce pathogens and unwanted bacteria into your vagina. If you’ll be camping where there are no toilets, dig a cathole to dispose of blood just as you would do to dispose of poop. Check out this blog for more info on how and where to dig a cathole.
For all my fellow environmentalists, check out the Grayl water filter so you can avoid bottled water altogether. I’ve been using it for 3 years and it’s saved me from buying hundreds of bottles of water from South America to the Middle East and Asia. Here’s an unflattering but illustrative video of me showing how to use the Grayl filter while camping in New York’s Adirondack Mountains.
Menstrual cups are perfect for camping
Swimming on your period is easy with a menstrual cup
Are menstrual cups safe?
Yes! Because menstrual cups collect blood instead of absorb it, they are safer than tampons, which have been found to cause toxic shock syndrome, a rare bacterial infection.
The risk of infection is small and to help you avoid infection, you’ll want to wash your hands before inserting, removing, and emptying your cup. Washing your hands afterward may seem obvious but washing before is just as important to ensure you’re not introducing any unwanted bacteria to your vagina.
Cons to using a reusable menstrual cup
In my opinion, the pros of using a reusable menstrual cup dramatically outweigh the cons but to ensure I’m giving a balanced perspective, here are some potential cons:
Learning Curve. Menstrual cups can take time to get used to but so did tampons when you first tried them.
Harder to clean. They can be challenging to clean at times.
Must change regularly. If you have a heavy flow, you may need to empty your cup every few hours (as I do), but the same goes for women who soak through tampons and pads quickly. So really, this isn’t a downside of the menstrual cup, it’s just a fact of life for heavy bleeders.
May not fit properly. You may have to use some trial and error to find the brand and size that works best for you. If you have fibroids or a dropped uterus, the cup may not fit properly.
IUD issues. There’s a rumor that women with IUDs (also a genius invention!) run the risk of pulling out their IUD when they remove their menstrual cup but I’ve never had this happen to me. This study also debunks that rumor.
Yeast infections. My gynecologist told me that women using a reusable menstrual cup may run a higher risk of contracting yeast infections if they don’t wash the cup regularly. If you’re already prone to yeast infections, take extra care in washing your cup.
How to be discreet with your menstrual cup
Periods are natural so personally, I have no qualms discussing my period around men or washing a bit of blood off my fingers in a public restroom but I understand that some women are a bit less forward. If you’re staying in a hostel/shared accommodation, or using a public bathroom, here are some tips to be discreet:
Bring a bottle of water (or collapsible water bottles) into the bathroom stall to clean your cup over the toilet. Use toilet paper to wipe your hands.
Wash your cup in the sink when you wash your hands. If you emptied the cup in the toilet, there should be minimal blood. Despite what you may think, nobody else is watching you wash your hands so it’s unlikely anyone will notice.
When possible, use the bathroom early in the morning or late at night, when there are fewer people.
Seek out lesser-used bathrooms, which may be on a different floor or in a less-trafficked part of the restaurant, shopping mall, airport, etc.
Flying with a menstrual cup
Menstrual cups are ideal for flying because they can be worn up to 12 hours before needing to be emptied/washed. Should you need to empty your cup on an airplane, be extra careful to not drop it; those bathrooms can be pretty nasty! Dump the blood right over the “trap door” to ensure it gets sucked down. If you pour it onto the walls of the toilet, it may not “flush” away because airplane toilets use suction, not water to flush down waste.
The water in airplane faucets is not potable. Do not drink it and do not use it to wash your menstrual cup. Heaps of bacteria have been found in airplane tap water (and sometimes in the coffee) so you’d do well using just toilet paper or bringing in a wipe or your water bottle to rinse it.
Menstrual cups are perfect for long flights
Menstrual cups are perfect for long trips
Tips for traveling with a reusable menstrual cup
Store properly. Store and carry your menstrual cup in a clean, breathable pouch. Cotton is recommended and some cups come with their own pouch. The pouch keeps the cup clean in your luggage and also protects it from damage.
Use mild soap. Pack a mild, fragrance-free soap to clean it (like the previously mentioned Dr. Bronner’s unscented castile soap).
Clean well. Clean your cup several times per day, ideally using hot, potable water and the mild soap you packed.
Pack two cups. If you’re planning a long trip where you’ll have limited access to clean water, consider packing a second cup. They’re so lightweight and small, that you won’t notice it’s in your bag…until you need it!
Where to buy a menstrual cup
I’m a big fan of shopping locally so I suggest visiting small natural food stores and co-ops in your city. As reusable menstrual cups are getting more popular, I’ve seen them stocked in-store at Whole Foods and Target and all the usual pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens, and Duane Reade (hello, New Yorkers!). You can also find them online on Amazon.com and through REI.
How to choose a menstrual cup
As I said before, I’ve been using the Diva Cup for over a decade and LOVE it. Have I tried other brands? No, because I haven’t needed to. Both of my cups have lasted 5+ years and I’ve had no issues so I see no reason to switch brands. If you go the Diva Cup route, know there are two sizes:
Diva Cup Model 1 is for women “under 30 who have never delivered vaginally or by caesarean section”
Diva Cup Model 2 is for women “age 30 and over and/or those who have delivered vaginally or by caesarean section regardless of age”
There’s loads of different reusable menstrual cups out there that take into account a woman’s age, flow, strength of pelvic floor muscles, and whether or not she’s given birth. Cups come in various shapes and sizes and have different stiffness levels and stem length (you can also trim a stem if it’s uncomfortable).
Read the reviews before you make a purchase and/or talk to your friends about their favorite. Speaking with your gynecologist could also be helpful. This guide to how to choose a menstrual cup goes way more in depth and discusses things like cervical height and vaginal fornix and includes images and videos, which are helpful to people like me who had previously never heard of a vaginal fornix.
How I became a menstrual cup convert
When I began volunteering at a hyper liberal, somewhat crusty food co-op in Manhattan in 2002, I saw a funny looking product on the shelves. It was a reusable menstrual cup and it scared me. It looked weird, sounded uncomfortable, and it seemed kind of dirty. I considered myself semi-hippie – biking everywhere, carrying armfuls of groceries on the train if I forgot to bring a reusable tote bag, and composting in my freezer then biking it 5 miles over a bridge to drop at the Union Square Farmers market – but even this seemed too much for me.
My roommate at the time wasn’t a hippie. She worked in a high-end art gallery, wore designer clothes, and ate out at nice restaurants while I survived grad school on beans, rice, and packaged ramen noodles. I was shocked to learn she used a reusable menstrual cup. It’s silly and embarrassing, but she is the reason I finally gave the cup a shot. I bought a Diva Cup at the food co-op (using my 20% discount) and never looked back.
I’ve spent the better part of the last decade trying to convince my sister to make the switch, shamelessly tagging her in social media posts about the topic. Though I haven’t yet given up on her, I’ve moved on to my 14-year-old niece.
I’m not exaggerating when I tell you making the switch is life changing. I can’t imagine life without it. Only once in the past ten years did I start bleeding before I could get to my Diva Cup so I borrowed a pad from a friend. It felt like a diaper and I didn’t let it happen again. If you’re as excited about menstrual cups as I am, you can even order “put a cup in it” stickers!
Do you have tips on traveling with a menstrual cup?
Want some general basic info on traveling while menstruating? Check out an article I wrote for World Nomads on How to Travel Confidently on Your Period? Speaking of them, I highly recommend buying World Nomads insurance for any and all trips. I’ve bought their insurance for every trip I’ve taken the past few years and have had nothing but good experiences with them.
I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please drop a comment below if you found this article helpful, or to share your experience using a cup, or recommendations you have for traveling on your period!
