What to do if you start your period & don’t have a PAD?

January 7, 2020
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What an O-M-G situation it is when you realize,

  1. You just had your period, which came unannounced.

AND

  1. You are not prepared. No pad, tampon or menstrual cup is in your reach at that moment.

You could be at work, in college, shopping or eating in a restaurant.

You panic!

But darling, that won’t help. You need to seek help.

The obvious first course of action is to locate another lady. A co-worker/friend/neighbor. Don’t shy away asking even from a complete stranger aunty who happens to be in the washroom or around you.

No luck?

Now begins the combat.

DIY Pads

Get hold of a tissue paper roll or a handful of tissues. Start unrolling the toilet paper, place one end on your underwear right where you would place a pad and start wrapping around and around. Make the layering extremely thick. Don’t plan to save the paper/tress at this point of time!

But, unfortunately toilet rolls are very flimsy and honestly won’t hold the spill for a very long time. You need to look for something sturdier. Like an absorbent paper towel.

Pleat the paper towel in several folds, making it look like a pad. This will become the absorbent core. Now place this makeshift pad in the undies and then start wrapping the toilet paper around the crotch of your underwear and the paper towel pad several times. Be generous with the wrapping.

(If you get hold of, split a clear plastic bag and place it on the knickers before putting any DIY pad or a wad of tissue. This will help prevent the leakage to some extent.)

If you’re in an office building or a restaurant, check with the admin if they have a first aid kit. The gauze and cotton can be used to make a temporary pad.

Soak the Sock

At the time of ‘code red’, if you are wearing shoes and socks, you are in luck lady!

Remove your socks, fold one sock neatly in the shape of a pad and wrap it well with tissue paper. Place it in the undies like a pad.

Hanky Can Come Handy

Fold your hankerchief, wrap it a thick, very thick layer of tissue paper/toilet roll and place it the undergarment.

Hand Towel

Just like the handkerchief, you can use a small hand towel to do the needful. But do wrap it in the toilet roll.

DO NOT put any towel, hanky or sock without covering it with the tissue, directly in the underwear as this can lead to infection.

Also, DO NOT try to make a DIY tampon using toilet paper. This can lead to severe complications.

Baby Diapers

This may not be the most comfortable option if placed directly in the underwear. Cut the diaper in the shape of pad and use. Remember, although equally absorbent but it is not a substitute to a sanitary pad. Use it only as a savior unless you get hold of the appropriate supply.

Learn from the experience……

For some and in some, conditions like hormonal imbalances, menopause or when a girl just begun her periods, it can get highly unpredictive. It does not follow a typical cycle of 28 days and hence come unannounced, anytime, anywhere.

So, the smart thing to do is to be prepared. All the time.

Store pads and tampons in several places so you always have the supplies nearby. In your purse, glove box of car, office desk/locker, school bag and anywhere else that you can think of.

These methods are obviously not something you would want to do every time that you get your period. However,  ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’. When you’re not able to get your hands on an actual pad or tampon, I recommend the above to take care of the ’emergency situation’.