Can I dive while Iām on my period?
Can I dive while on my period? The short answer to this isā¦ YES!
WARNING: Now going into more bloody detail.
Many women get worried about diving on their period, with good reason! Itās already not the most comfortable time of the month, and it would be bad if diving made it worse.
Really, itās totally fine to dive on your period. Wear whatever you would usually wear when you go swimming ā whether itās a tampon, moon/diva cup, or something similar. Many divers will āstopā menstruating when they are diving, as their vaginal opening stays closed, and the ambient pressure of the water helps prevent any leaking.
Wetsuits are also our friends when it comes to periods (never thought youād read those words eh!). The entire job of the wetsuit is to keep the water in, to keep you warm. That means if you do have a bit of leakage (which is possible when coming out of the water), no one will know. Probably not even you! If you have a particularly heavy flow, just be sure to bring enough tampons (or whatever it is that you use) and change them as frequently as you can. You should be drinking lots of water anyways, so frequent trips to the loo is already a requirement (because you arenāt peeing in the rental wetsuitā¦ RIGHT?!)!
One thing to consider is how much your period affect your everyday life. Some women get terrible, no good, really bad cramps, migraines and/or backaches when menstruating. If the only thing you can bring yourself to do is curl up on the couch with a hot water bottle, chocolate and have a good cry in the dark, my suggestion would be to get a blanket, a Netflix account, and let Ryan Renolds take you away. In all honesty though, if you are one of those unlucky people that suffer from severe period pains, please take care of yourself first. If you canāt do physical activity on the first few days usually, then postpone your dives until you are A) not on your period or B) no longer in pain.
The final concern that people have are the sharks. Now, if period blood attracted sharks in Wraysbury, I personally would be super impressed and encourage every bleeding woman to jump in the lake. As it is, there has yet to be a shark sighting there. Even if you are diving in an ocean where sharks are around, they will have no more interest in you then they would if your insides werenāt stripping themselves of their wallpaper. Studies have shown that sharks are curious, rather than aggressive, when presented with human blood, but even then theyāll only take note if there is a fair amount in the water (why these people are not seeking medical attention, I do not know). Women only lose a few millilitres of blood a day when they are on their period, most of it is uterine lining and water. We also circle back to my first point ā most women do not bleed when they are in the water because of our friends ambient pressure and closed vaginal canals.
So, as I said at the beginning; Yes, you can dive while on your period. Go forth and conquer, and remember ladies, anything men can do, we can do bleeding.
Sources:
https://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/Menstruation_During_Diving_Activities
https://www.liveabout.com/can-you-dive-on-your-period-2963242