On the go with a pad, tampon and panty liner - these tips will help you

In the drugstore, the various products for monthly hygiene fill entire rows of shelves. However, women are often faced with special challenges, especially when they are out and about.

Which monthly hygiene suits you?

Your activities play a role, because in the sauna you need different protection than on a long car or train ride. If you sit for a long time and only have the opportunity to change after hours, you need products that will not leak. Of course, hygiene also has to be comfortable. On the go, however, the hygienic conditions are not always the best for exchanging pads. You should also consider this in advance when you go on the trip.

In the drugstore, the various products for monthly hygiene fill entire rows of shelves. You can sometimes lose track of all these products: which one suits you? That of course depends on you and the intensity of your days. But also about what you are up to.

On the way between and with the menstrual cycle

You can use panty liners for every day without your monthly bleeding. You normally have to change them only once a day, they are small and fit in any hand luggage.

During the bleeding on the way - more protection is needed. Normal sanitary napkins protect on light to medium days. The mostly individually packaged and nowadays often ultra-thin pads fit in every handbag. There are corresponding variants for particularly heavy bleeding. If you are out for a whole day, you will of course have to change the pad. The advantage of sanitary napkins is that they are easy to use even when on tour.

The mostly individually packaged and nowadays often ultra-thin pads fit in every handbag. There are corresponding variants for particularly heavy bleeding, for example for the night.

Activity and duration are decisive

Of course, you need special protection for certain activities such as swimming. Tampons are common. They are mainly made of cellulose and are available in different sizes depending on the strength of the bleeding. Individually packed, they fit in any trouser pocket.

To be really safe on a long day out and about, many women combine tampons and sanitary towels.

There are now alternatives for them. These are for example menstrual cups made of silicone that you can use again and again. It holds more liquid than a conventional sanitary napkin. One disadvantage: the menstrual cup has to be rinsed out under running water. This can be a problem on the go, for example when traveling.

Flexible tampons are another alternative. They are much more comfortable than conventional tampons and can even be worn during sex. You will need a little practice to remove them because flexitampons do not have a pull-back strap. Before traveling, you should definitely take a look at the calendar - and if your period falls during this time, you should have the correct monthly hygiene in your pocket so that you are well protected anytime, anywhere.

Alternatives to conventional products

The disadvantage with conventional pads, however, is the ecological balance. Because they not only contain cellulose, but also plastic and various synthetic materials. In the meantime, however, there are also sanitary towels that replace at least the plastic through biodegradable components, such as for example corn starch, and so are much more environmentally friendly. But there is also a zero waste variant, i.e. one without any waste.

The alternative are cloth pads. They are buttoned to the panty with buttons instead of adhesive strips, have a tight side at the bottom and absorbent layers of fabric on top and thus offer the necessary protection. After they have been pre-rinsed with cold water, they can be washed in the washing machine at 40 degrees. On the trip, where you probably don't want to do laundry every day, this monthly hygiene is rather impractical.