A cyclical question for the ladies!!

milkyway

I read in the lonely planet that I should bring my own tampons because there are none to peak of in India...Is that true?
I am not a fan of the pad so I either bring my own stash of tampees or I happily find out they are available.

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it's hip on the mothership

sandym

I'd be tempted to take my own even if they were available in India. Toxic Shock is a serious condition and I would stick to what you use normally. One less thing to worry about and they are small and light...

Sandy x

gozer

just a suggestion - if you are on the Pill, speak to your doctor about how to just "skip" IT while you're there.

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If you want a friend, feed any animal.....

fat freddy's cat

I read on this site somewhere about a product called the keeper.I was a bit grossed out by the description but decided that it was economical and better for the enviroment so i ordered one and it's actually really good!Put in a search for the Keeper on google and it will give you the description that i'm too embarrassed to!

gozer

another little suggestion - the keeper, the instead cup, and other products of the same idea are great - for your body, and for the environment. but since your hands and fingers won't be spankin' clean, it adds up to a bad idea for use in India.......

fat freddy's cat

hand sanitiser is the key

goldfish

antiseptic hand wipes turn up again as one of the most important things to pack

LuAnnandJawahar

Bring your own unless you are going to be there a long time, at which point it becomes inpractical.

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Reject violence.

banglabound

Impractical yes, but what's the alternative? Pads might give me a rash in the heat...

Samsara

I'll check out the keeper, I just posted on another thread about this problem, finding an environmentally sound alternative. I think with hot water and antiseptic it's O.K. - like wash your hands first.

sandym

In the UK there are Naturcare tampons that are made without chemicals etc. Maybe check if you can get those if your worried. I'm sure there must be an alternative.

Sandy x

turlapati

bring your own. The keeper thingy is fine for home, but you will be using bathrooms that you will not want to be loitering in for an extra split second. there will be enough complicaations to deal with, afford yourself one luxury bring your own tampons.

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susan turlapati

gozer

if you're going to be in India for about two months or under, take the pill, and skip your period.

if you've never used the keeper, or similar products before, going to India, or off on any other journey, to anywhere, is not the time to start

and unless you're also doing some sort of surgical prep scrub under your fingernails, anti-bacterial wash won't change the fact that your fingers will be unacceptably dirty to use the above mentioned product

if it still doesn't make sense, check out their website, and read their online instruction section:

http://www.keeper-menstrual-cup.com/

maddog

hallo Milkyway,
It just depends where you are going in India. I prefer pads myself, but I do know that they have known brand tampons at the chemists in the big cities and in Goa. So you can stock up while you are in a modern area for when you go to rural places.

rpdnplstk

hey there -

not to be too gruesome for anyone, but the other, previously unmentioned problem with the keepers (and yes i agree - there is not enough hand sanitizer in the world for me to use a keeper in some of those places - you can't keep sanitized, crouch over things in various states of undress, not lose your balance, and insert keepers all at one time without touching SOMETHING YOU DON"T WANT TO TOUCH) is that you have to empty them. without, again, going into detail.... while you may be able to just dump them out, when i have used them in the states, i have wanted very much to rinse the residual gore off BEFORE reinserting them. there is no way in the world i would rinse a keeper off and reinsert it in oh, roughly 95% of the public restrooms in india that a traveler like us might stumble upon.

i was on my period once while in india, at a monastery no less - i packed my gear, just like i'd pack if i were traveling anywhere, since i hate running to the drug store at the last minute, wondering if i'm bleeding through my clothes. it was no big deal. and recognizable sanitary products were available in the big cities, but hey - the stuff packs pretty tight, and the bonus is that, once you've used it, there's more room for the stuff you want to bring home!!

cheers!!