How to manage your period at a christmas party

Mother nature has a wicked sense of humour! No matter if you have regular or irregular periods your menstrual cycle always seems to decide the night of the office Christmas party is when your period will turn up. Leaving you to deal with a potentially stressful evening worrying about leaks instead of having fun.

If your period is light and fuss free then it probably makes little difference to your night out. I'm thankfully in that camp so I will just wear my menstrual cup and continue on as normal. I love my cup (never been able to use traditional tampons) but a period cup means I don't need my big comfy knickers to accommodate a sanitary pad, no worry that anyone will notice the pad outline or a VPL and I'm confidently leak free.

Sadly some of my colleagues here at The Period Lady are not as lucky as me and they require careful planning to avoid hourly changes of their sanitary products - not ideal for a night out. So what do you do if you period is very heavy and you're due a Christmas period!
Review Your Normal Routine for the Christmas period

How much protection and time do your usual period products give you?

Is it enough to get you through an extended evening period free from the risk of leaks? If they are then great but if they aren't then use this opportunity to review what you use and increase the level of protection. Getting your period before a party should not stop you enjoying yourself.
Internal Protection!

Start with internal production so this could be a menstrual disc such as the Nixit disc which offers the highest level of containment. Alternatively consider a menstrual cup or tampon. Internal production doesn't any outline on your outfit so you can continue as normal. However for some of you this isn't always enough to get you through an evening so what next.

Remember to change your internal period protection regularly as the product advises. Menstrual discs and menstrual cups often have a longer wear time than tampons. Follow the product guidelines to avoid toxic shock syndrome.

Menstrual discs and menstrual cups contain menstrual fluid rather than absorb it as a tampon does which stops your vaginal walls being dried out or upsetting your vaginal ph balance.

Next layer Sanitary Pads

So after any internal production your next step would be period pads. Depending on your flow you may just want a little panty liner to give you some reassurance or if you're in the ultra heavy camp then look at the super absorbent pad, an example is the Nora heavy or ultra heavy pads. Nora are made in Scotland and come with a really handy elastic so you can simply fold them up for storage. That elastic can be really handy when maybe you've had a little too much alcohol and poppers are a challenge to your dexterity. Another option are the La Petite Ourse heavy flow pads. La Petite Ourse reusable sanitary pads have silicone dots on the back to minimise movement so you can confidently dance the night away knowing your pad is going to stay in place.

Final Layer Period Pants

Period pants are you final layer of defence! Again if you are fairly light you may prefer to skip the sanitary pads above and just use your internal protection and period pants, therefore reducing the need for a pad. If however you're ultra heavy the period pants can become your third and final third layer of defence against leaks.

Period pants come in many styles and absorbencies so you can find the perfect one for you.

Fancy pants!

Want to still wear your lingerie rather than your comfy period knickers? Then look to the Saalt range of period pants. They are made of beautifully soft and silky fabric, slim and look just like ordinary lingerie.

Ultra heavy absorbency period pants.

Look no further than the Wuka super heavy range which comes in either traditional midi style or high waisted. Each pair of these holds approx 12 regular tampons worth.

Absorbency Calculator

If you're new to reusable period products it can be surprising that these slim items really can hold so much. I'll give you a quick calculation of how much the combination above could absorb

Nixit disc 70ml

Nora Heavy Flow Pad 70ml

Wuka Super Heavy Midi Pants 60ml

This combination gives you a whopping 200ml of menstrual flow absorbency and protection. Then compare this to the average absorbency of a super tampon which holds approx 10-15ml!

Now I hope you see why reusable sanitary products will get you through that Christmas party leak and stress free so you can concentrate on having fun! ~

One of our team knows someone who even took a spare clothes to their party because they were so worried about blood seeping through and someone noticing the stain. If only they had used reusable menstrual products.

What else do you need?

Depending on the period products or combination of products you use you'll likely want a waterproof bags. Your storage bag just needs to be small to hold any soiled pads or extra underwear. An example would be the Nora storage bag.

A menstrual disc or cup are easily emptied down the toilet in public bathrooms and then you can either use toilet paper to clean before reinserting or there are disposable wipes as an option too.

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How can I stop my period for a special occasion?

I hope the suggestions in this article can help you get through the festive period confidently and you don't get caught short. There is one final option that you may like to consider which is to take the medication Norethisterone to delay your period. You have to take this for a few days to get it into your system in your system but it can delay your bleeding. I've taken it once and it did leave dealing with a hormonal rollercoaster afterwards but speak to your Doctor if you think it might help you avoid the inconvenience of your period and period cramps.