Deal With an Unexpected Menstruation

Many girls and women can't predict the exact date when they are going to start their periods. Many are regular as clockwork, but being late, or early, can catch a woman or girl out. Dealing with unexpected menstruation can be tough. During such times, it is important to be calm and focused. You should also know exactly what to do. Read on to figure how you can handle something like this; these steps can save you when you aren't expecting to get your period.

Steps

  1. Carry sanitary products, if you are expecting your period. Have a change of underwear. Wear a thin, comfy panty liner if you are due on or think you might start, even if the super thin ones will help protect your clothes for a little while, especially if your flow is light. Have a period emergency kit. Remember, all you really have to do is stop the blood making mess of you and your clothes, it's not a huge issue.
  2. Use toilet paper, napkins, or tissues as sanitary protection. This is a great way to deal with this situation. Fold a lot of it neatly to what looks like a long pad, the thicker the better and place where you would place a regular pad.
  3. Buy sanitary products to use from a vending machine or a store. Ask if your friends can let you have a towel or tampon. Ask for money to borrow to buy some if you have to. If you're in a school, hospital, clinic, gym, hotel, women's prison, community centre or other public building, ask a member of staff, female if you prefer, if there's somewhere you can get a sanitary towel or tampon.
  4. Make sure you don't panic, this can make things worse. As soon as you feel liquid or blood dripping down your leg, or you spot some on your pants, don't freak-out, or draw attention to it. If you have a sweatshirt, casually tie it around your waist until you can reach a bathroom, or a private place to inspect what has been stained.
  5. Tell a trusted adult. If you are lucky, your mother should be the one to tell- not your best friend or brother. If your mother isn't there, still do not blurt it out to your friend until you can find a way to fix the problem. You may have to tell a male. Just tell the closest thing to family that is there at the moment, whether it be your uncle, or dad.
  6. Don't be embarrassed. Once you have told the adult and get help, people might end up figuring out what happened. It happens to everyone once in their lifetime. Stand tall and be proud that you handled it the right way.

Tips

  • Keep change with you. Many public restrooms (including those in some schools) sell tampons and pads for those emergencies.
  • Avoid wearing light-colored bottoms around your 'time of the month.'
  • To prevent from getting caught on an unexpected menstruation, try to predict when you think you will have it. Count 28 - 32 days after you had your last period. Most women get their period every 28 days, but a 32-day cycle is common, too. That doesn't make you "late". But don't freak out if your period does come late. It's perfectly normal and it takes around a year for girls to begin to have a regular cycle.
  • Get into the habit of keeping a pad with you at all times. Put one in your purse, your backpack, etc.
  • To be prepared for these days while you're at school, put a thin maxi pad into a legal sized envelope and seal it. Put one envelope in each of your school folders. You will be prepared for the unexpected and if it happens to fall on the floor, no one will know that a pad is in that envelope!
  • If this happened in school, it is handy to have extra clothes. From experience of a similar situation, try to bring a pair of extra undies, at least two pads or whatever feminine product you choose to use, and all weather friendly clothes, like a t-shirt, a hoodie and capris.
  • If by chance you are going commando when it happens and you have no access to other products (it does happen), make a harness with toilet paper. Pull three arm lengths (outstretched from hand to hand) of paper. Fold it in half, tie around your waist, loop through the fold at the navel, and tie it off in the back. Then make a pad with folded toilet paper. Be very cautious with this though, especially with low cut or baggy pants; you don't want it to show, or even worse, have the "pad" fall out.
  • If you have a smartphone, use the app called iPeriod to calculate when you can expect your period.
  • If you are nervous about something just chew some gum or a mint it helps to relax you and take your nerves away.

Warnings

  • Remember, this is a big change and you will feel like a roller coaster the first few days, and you'll want to be alone. This is okay, but don't shut out your family.
  • If any adult tries to come with you to a bathroom and they are not family or a trusted adult, don't let them. Your body is yours and only yours.
  • If it happens and there is a male teacher or another adult you feel uncomfortable telling, just say "I need to go to the nurse's office for a private matter". The teacher will get the idea and will gladly want you to go so he doesn't have to be embarrassed!
  • It may be embarrassing to tell someone what happened. If you feel the need to, confide in your mother, it's probably happened to her before too!
  • Don't get too upset if you do ruin an outing. It is totally natural

Things You'll Need

  • Pads, tampons, or panty liners
  • Other feminine products
  • (Optional, but highly recommended) Change of clothes

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Sources and Citations

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