What do women do when they have their periods in the military??

Question

I really don't mean to sound retarded, but I am joining in Feb. 2008, and I have so many questions I feel I can't ask the recruiter.

I know soldiers still go to the bathroom and everything in Basic, and in Iraq [or wherever stationed] but...

My boyfriend told me he didnt shower for a WHOLE month while he was in Iraq [infantry]..

There can't be a whole lot of time women can change their...sanitary products..what happens??????

Answer 1

Ok i know you want to believe your boyfriend but every one is given the opportunity to shower. Maybe he chose not to. Perhaps he didn't like community showers or cold water i don't know. Even if you aren't given the opportunity to shower with water there are wet ones or wet wipes you can take and use if need be. A lot of women carry a soft pack of wet wipes in their pack just for that reason. When you go to the bath room you change your sanitary products. Every time just so you are always good to go. Be over prepared rather than hope for time later. Double up with tampons and pads together. I know this is not something you want to see on here but this is life so face it. I was active duty for ten years and a lot of times you just improvise. There will be other women to help with questions when you face a problem. We are there to support each other.

As far as boot camp. Don't worry. You shower every night. You will be given time to go to the bathroom when you need to. The Company Comander assigns the Yeoman (a female recruit) to carry all the sanitary pads and such in her carry bag all day so you will be able to ask your fellow recruit to give you something when you need it.

Good luck.

Answer 2

How is this a military question? It is called Depo Provera and it is a really crappy way to go for birth control. It may stop your period but everyone on know that had it bled all the time regardless of their period or not and then couldn't get pregnant years after taking it. Pills do the job without all the other problems the shot has. Military woman don't have to stop their period. We are as normal as civilian woman.

Answer 3

Except for while I was pregnant on active duty I had regular menstrual cycles to include my tour in Iraq.
Females will not go a whole month without a shower. There was always rumor that females have to shower at least every 3rd day. Don't know if it was true or not. However my friends and I did. We would get out our ponchos and set up our own little shower.
Most stateside deployments have port a potties. Even have them in Iraq now at most locations. You can always go to the bathroom when you need to. Most likely with the stress and getting in shape for the military you might lose it or it can become lighter. Alot of females opt for getting the shot to stop their period. Wet wipes are a girls' best friend. Just always have extra protection on you.

Answer 4

Carry your supplies with you in your rucksack. my wife has a nice little ACU pouch in which she keeps Hooahs (baby wipes) and tampons when she deploys or goes to the field. You can change-out your feminine product pretty quickly in a porta-john just like if you were camping in the states.


All Soldiers get the opportunity to wash every couple of days, even in the field. Though not a shower, a wash cloth, a 5-gallon jug of water and some privacy go a long way to making you feel human! Even Hooahs, or babywipes make a decent "Field Bath" in a pinch. There's no requirement for the Army to give you a shower every X number of days, but U.S. Soldiers all sleep on some sort of base when not in a convoy, or on patrol, and the Army provides plenty of shower facilities (individual stalls with shower curtains in most cases!).

Good luck in Basic and welcome to the Army. Hooah.

Answer 5

your boyfriend is infantry and honestly alot of the infantry units are out on longer missions then co-ed units...and yes i've heard of infantry guys being out on missions and not being able to take showers til they got back to their bases...my husband has had to do that several times...usually anywhere from 2 weeks to about a month at a time...

if you deploy you will be at a fob that has all the creature comforts or bathrooms and showers...not saying you won't go out on missions but you won't be away from the fob for a month so you can have shower and what not...

if you know you're going on a mission and you're going to start your period take along extra babywipes and sanitary items so you are prepared...

just always make sure you have extra sanitary items packed and ready just in case...good luck

Answer 6

There is enough time to clean yourself. The most you will ever have to go without showering is a week. Your boyfriend must have been doing something special. You will be forced to take lots of baby wipes when you go to places where showers are not available. I have taken many a baby-wipe bath. Also, infantry units(all male) do crazier stuff than other co-ed units.

Answer 7

Hooah Wipes

Answer 8

If there is no bathroom, and you have to change a tampon in the field, you squat behind a bush, dig a little hole and bury the used tampon (just like cats do with their waste). Ask a trusted buddy to watch your back. Wet ones are handy to have to tidy up.
It's not the end of the world, and as they say, "War is hell."
:)

Answer 9

Just wear a pad. They take a second to change while you go pee. I wouldn't risk it with tampons if you can't change it when you're supposed to because of Toxic Shock Syndrome. Or you can get the depo shot like the other girl said.

Oh yeah and keep some of those little Summer's Eve wipes in your pocket. They come individually wrapped so you can clean that area and it will feel fresh like on a summer's eve!!!

Answer 10

I can't give you any advice about this...but you could see about getting the depo provera shot so you don't have to worry about it. You'd have to ask the recruiter what the protocol would be to get the shot where ever you would be deployed, but if it were possible, you wouldn't have to worry about the monthly inconvenience.