HEALTH

Here are a few easy things you can do to avoid worrying about your monthly visitor all through the school day.

Plan Ahead
Before you head out, figure out how often you’ll wanna change your pad or tampon at school. If your flow is heavy, you probably wanna hit the ladies room every 2 hours or so. If it’s lighter, you might be able to get away with going every 4 hours. Whatever you decide, count up the amount of pads and tampons you’ll need to get your through the day, and put then in your backpack. That way, you won’t have to worry about having all the essentials.

Extra Protection
If your flow is super heavy and you’re terrified of it leaking through, wear a tampon and a bigger, extra-absorbent pad. Better safe than sorry, right? If your flow isn’t heavy but you're still worried, you can use a pantiliner to catch any excess from your tampon. That way you won’t be running to the bathroom every 10 seconds, and you can actually pay attention to what your teacher has to say.

Save Time
We recommend hitting the bathroom between classes. If you have short breaks between classes and don't have time to run to your locker for the books for your next class *and* stopping in the restroom, you should plan ahead: carry your books for your next class to the one before. It might be a li’l extra work, but it’s only for one week per month. If you just don't have time between classes, pop out right at the beginning of your class or during classwork.

Be Prepared
You never know when your flow is suddenly going to get heavier, so stick an extra pad or tampon in your pencil case or purse, just to be safe, that way you always have a back-up on you. If you feel the need to run to the restroom, you won’t have to go all the way to your locker and miss tons of class time.

Just Ask
If you didn’t get the chance to hit the ladies’ room before class and it’s well past time for a change, it’s totally okay to tell your teacher what’s up. Male or female, they'll understand that you’ve got an emergency and that you aren’t just asking to go to the bathroom so you can skip out on her lecture. If you need a pad or tampon, your female teachers probably have an extra stash. And if your teacher is a guy? Well, he won’t have extra pads and tampons, but he will respect you if you tell him discreetly that you have a “female emergency.” And if you need any supplies, you can always pop into the nurses office and ask them for a pad or a tampon. So don’t be shy – teachers are there to help, after all.

How do you deal with your period at school? Share in the comments!

We want to hear from you! Send us your weirdest body questions here (seriously, we'll answer anything!) and it just might get featured.

by Carrie Ruppert | 1/10/2019