People have been swimming on their periods for eons! There’s no reason why you shouldn’t either. If you’re worried about a heavy flow, remember that the water will temporarily reduce your flow. However, it won’t stop it completely, so it’s essential to wear a menstrual product even in the water.
And of course, spending time laughing and catching rays with friends is no downside, either!
Be sure to insert a new tampon prior to swimming. Remember to change your tampon every few hours if you have a flow, and to never wear it for more than eight hours. It’s not a great idea to get in a pool without using some kind of a menstrual product to stop your flow.
You don’t have to worry about hiding a tampon string when you use a menstrual cup, making cups a bit more discrete.
If you’re worried about your heavy flow, use period swimwear in combination with a tampon or menstrual cup for extra protection.
If you’re used to using pads on your period and want to try something else, period swimwear might be the next best option. Period swimwear functions like a pad, but it looks discrete and only absorbs menstrual blood (not the pool water).
You can also choose a suit that’s a bit thicker in the bikini area so you don’t have to worry about your tampon string or pad showing.
“Board shorts” often look great with bikini tops and is a style that does not draw any attention or curiosity. If you normally wear bikini bottoms and worry wearing shorts will draw attention, you can fib and say you could not find your swimsuit bottoms or had to borrow your brother’s or something.
If you’re wearing a tampon on a heavy day, change it every 3-4 hours. If you’re wearing a menstrual cup or period swimwear, you’re probably going to be just fine for up to 10 hours. Still, bringing an extra one just in case won’t hurt. Even if you think you’ll be OK without extra supplies, it’s always good to have spares on hand in case one of your friends needs one!
Menstrual blood has never been shown to attract sharks. Of course, avoid any shark infested waters anyway unless precautions are taken, but not because you’re menstruating. Tampons will not absorb excessive amounts of water when swimming. If they did, Olympic swimmers, marine biologists, and scuba divers would not use tampons—and they do.
