Why everyone should stockpile tampons and pads.
Aug 5, 2022 14:07:32 GMT 10
Joey, hd1340, and 3 more like this
Post by Stealth on Aug 5, 2022 14:07:32 GMT 10
If you're squeamish about all things menstrual related, I highly recommend as mentioned in another thread that you gut up and get through it lmao. If nothing else, human biology is fascinating when you get over the indoctrinated 'ick factor'. This is a huge post but it's worth reading if nothing else to gain an understanding of what us poor menstruating people have to deal with!
After another thread went that way, it was pointed out that perhaps it's a refresher reminder time for why EVERYONE should stock sanitary products. Regardless of your biological make up, age, or current physical status, they're products that are currently relatively cheap to stockpile and there's good reason to.
So for the sake of assuming that some folks have never had reason to research it (fair enough!) here's a quick run down that explains the nitty gritty so that you can understand in what situations they might be useful. And also, if you suddenly find yourself in the position of needing to obtain them for someone that needs them, you'll know what you're looking for and why!
Tampons. Come in sizes Mini, Regular, and Super.
Mini - They generally absorb about 6g of fluid, or around about a teaspoon worth.
Regular - 6g to 9g of fluid, or about a teaspoon and half.
Super - You're looking at 9-12g of fluid here. About a dessert spoon worth. Ish.
Doesn't seem like a lot, does it? The reason absorbency comes into play is that tampon use has been highly associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome, or TSS. The short explanation is that TSS can develop in the body if the person leaves a tampon in place for too long. The longer the period of time, the higher the risk. Under four hours has been determined to be the general 'safe zone'. TSS is extremely dangerous and absolutely fatal if left untreated.
So a person with a light flow might be tempted to leave the tampon in place for longer than four hours if they feel that it hasn't yet been used up but they should not. This means that every four hours regardless of the absorbed amount the tampon must be replaced.
If you're lucky, you'll get to four hours. If you have a heavier flow you might have to replace it in two. For some unlucky people it can even be hourly. So you can see why keeping a large stock of multiple sizes can come in handy!
For clarification the size of the tampon is largely irrelevant to the size of the person. There's a very rare few who're unable to accommodate all three sizes. The size purely relates to the individual's flow rate and recommendation for replacement time. Often mini is recommended for young folks to start with, as flow is often lighter in early puberty than later on in life. Super is often recommended for older folks or those who've carried children as the body has become fine-tuned to the menstrual cycle and will do it's thing faster if given the opportunity. Ergo, higher flow rate.
THESE ARE NOT RULES. Every single body is different and some are blessed with a quick and light cycle their entire life. Jealous 🤣. If you have a partner who needs products or find yourself with a friend, family member or group member who needs them, don't just let them tell you the colour of the pack. Ask what size. Because if their preferred brand is not available (and yes, they do have differences as manufacturing process differs by brand) you will still be able to identify a different brand with the correct size that suits their needs.
So what are tampons good for in a medical emergency sense?
Tampons make pretty garbage bullet hole plugs despite what most people will tell you.
They're better than nothing of course, but they're by no means a solution to a problem. You have to have the right sized tampon for the gauge of the bullet that went in. If it's a through-and-through, you will need a larger one for the entry wound and a smaller one for the exit wound. Most people don't carry a combo of sizes in their kits but if you want it to be effective you really should.
Tampons supposedly work because as they fill, they expand. To correctly plug a wound you need to estimate the size required to fill the hole. It needs to put the right outwards pressure on the wound. It's also going to hurt light shiz to have an expanding dressing in your bullet hole... but that's really only a side concern. If you've been shot it's going to suck either way.
Of course in an emergency you gotta do what you gotta do. Just be ready to adjust and replace a smaller tampon with a larger one if it doesn't expand enough to actually put pressure on to entirely stop the blood flow. Try not to stick a super tampon in a hole caused by something small and narrow as it'll expand a LOT and cause more damage.
Once a tampon absorbs it's maximum amount if it's not putting enough outwards pressure on to stem the flow of the blood at the source. It will simply act as a really inefficient blocker. You're going to have just as much and just as quick blood flow coming out as if it weren't there at all once it's reached it's maximum capacity.
They're designed to absorb the fluid coming out and then be replaced. They can stem flow from a wound by allowing the wound the time to start clotting but with significant blood flow from a wound you're not going to get much utility out of them.
If the wound is impacting on any kind of artery tampons are completely useless. Worse than useless. Arterial blood flow will definitely push the tampon out faster than it can absorb blood to stem the flow. Don't even bother. If you need to stem arterial blood flow, wound packing as hard and as fast as you can manage is the only thing that will save your casualty's life.
So can tampons be used as a medical dressing? Sure. But with very limited utility and you really have to be aware of how much each product will expand to make use of them. If you plan to keep some in your emergency kit I recommend pulling a few of different sizes out to drop in a cup of water to see exactly how they respond so that you know what might be effective and what's just wasting your time.
You can increase their efficacy drastically by pouring some quick-clot into the wound first. But if you don't have quick-clot, in most cases you're not even really delaying the inevitable.
Tampons do effectively have an unlimited shelf life as they're mostly just cotton and/or rayon blends. So you can stack them as a barter item for a very long time.
Pads. Come in Liners, Regular, Super, Overnight, and Maternity sizes. Almost all brands in Aus have adhesive on the backs to stick them to the crotch of the underwear. Some have what's known as 'wings' which wrap around to the outside of the crotch. These wings not only help to hold the pad in place if you're moving around a lot but they also prevent leakage onto the material if your flow unexpectedly goes full "I hate you".
Liners - Generally used for the lead up or run down from a period. The body will release tiny amounts of fluid in advance of a period (generally a day or two and known as 'spotting'). Suitable literally only a few drops of liquid. Most people use these for a day or two either side but they can also be used on days where the body is being particularly petty and the natural lubrication in the body is excessive. This generally happens because of hormonal shift in the cycle. It's no biggy. Some folk have it, some don't. But it can be handy for those who do to use liners to help feel more comfortable. They're paper thin. Generally they do not come with wings as they're designed to be as inobtrusive as possible.
Regular - Similar to regular flow tampons in absorption. Has all the same hallmarks as a liner but can come with wings or without, and are much thicker.
Super - Similar to super tampons in absorption. Wings and no wings. Often thicker, but not always depending on the manufacture method.
Overnight - These are the chonkybois. They're very thick, but also very long in comparison to the others. This is because as you're laying down the fluid has the ability to run further. Unlike tampons, there is no TSS risk and you can therefore wear them much longer. Many folks prefer these for overnight because they don't have to set an alarm to wake up every four hours to change them. It leads that they will go a full 8 hour night without needing to be changed with a 'regular' flow. They can also be used as maternity pads, as they're quite similar.
Maternity - Maternity pads are extremely similar to Overnighters, and in reality are mostly a marketing ploy. That being said, some can be slightly higher absorbency and often have slightly softer upper layers as the area is frankly rather upset with you. Softer textures can provide some relief. Flow after childbirth can often be fast-paced and heavy and that's the main reason for them but overnighters will fill this role just as effectively in most cases.
As you can see though the amount of fluid absorbed is still quite low in the grand scheme of things. But when it comes to pads are they effective in a medical emergency?
Pads make pretty good emergency wound pads. The layer of plastic backing which has no absorption means that there is an opportunity for the pad to stem blood flow of shallow wounds like road rash or long but shallow cuts. You will still need bandages to hold them in place, or a hand that can be tied up with applying pressure to hold it in place.
I would also suggest a store of super or overnight pads for the use of light bladder leakage for someone that has mild incontinence. Elderly, sick, infirm, or mum's who've had their muscles mangled by carrying bubs can all gain utility from them, but they really don't absorb enough for more than light leakage. They give you time to get to a toilet, but someone that's entirely incapacitated would really need something like adult diapers instead. No shame in stocking a few packs of those too in case you have someone that becomes very ill or injured!
I can't really comment on the shelf life of pads because they generally don't hang around that long for me to find out. Unlike nappies which will gradually absorb water into the crystals over time and loose their efficacy as a result, pads have multiple layers of highly absorbent cloth-like paper. So I've had some that have sat in my bag as emergency supplies for a year and they've worked as effectively as new.
I'd hazard a guess that the glue used for adhesion to clothing would die eventually if kept in heat but I have not experienced that myself. Regardless, the product will still do what it's supposed to do. Absorb fluid.
Reusable products. Menstrual cups, period undies, washable pads/liners. All are a prepper's best friend because if you can successfully use them they last a very long time and negate the requirement for sourcing disposable products every 3-4 weeks. They're a money saver over the long term as well.
They have a more expensive outlay initially and they can be difficult to get right. Cups for example vary drastically in size and shape and many folk have to try out several before they get to their 'goldilocks' cup.
This can make it an expensive product to get started as obviously you can't return a cup if it isn't right for you, and for hygiene's sake it shouldn't be handed over to someone else. That being said if SHTF and wastage is a concern they obviously CAN be sterilized as they're medical grade silicone. But it's a bit like wearing the cleaned and sterilized undies of a stranger. Sure, they're clean... But you really don't want to anyway! Haha.
I don't recommend stockpiling most of these unless it's for direct family/friends who're already experienced in their use so that you can stockpile (far less of!) their exact preferred item. You can't just 'make do' with a cup that's shape doesn't suit your body. You can make do with a pad or tampon that's the wrong absorbency as it'll still work just for a lesser amount of time. A poorly fitted cup will simply leak as if it weren't there and can be painful or uncomfortable.
Reusable products have a very limited medical utility purely because of their very nature. Reusable pads can be used as a wound pad much as disposable pads can however.
And after all that, why should EVERYONE stockpile these products?
Because if SHTF the largest and most valuable purpose for these products to the person that doesn't need to use them is bartering. Someone who's on their last tampon will trade a whole heckin' lot for a box of them. They're like toilet paper, with even more social stigma if you can't access them. If I had run out and someone offered me a pack of pads or a bag of flour and I had neither one, I'm taking the pads. every. single. time.
Interesting how social conditioning works isn't it! We could make do with torn up cloth but the outcome would be extremely uncomfortable, inconvenient, annoying to clean, and will restrict your movement. When you're in a lot of pain and feeling unwell those small inconveniences all add up to a pretty miserable time.
Disposable sanitary products will be as barterable as any food or hygiene item if SHTF and if you have a large stockpile you're a million miles ahead of anyone else that HASN'T stockpiled them.
After another thread went that way, it was pointed out that perhaps it's a refresher reminder time for why EVERYONE should stock sanitary products. Regardless of your biological make up, age, or current physical status, they're products that are currently relatively cheap to stockpile and there's good reason to.
So for the sake of assuming that some folks have never had reason to research it (fair enough!) here's a quick run down that explains the nitty gritty so that you can understand in what situations they might be useful. And also, if you suddenly find yourself in the position of needing to obtain them for someone that needs them, you'll know what you're looking for and why!
Tampons. Come in sizes Mini, Regular, and Super.
Mini - They generally absorb about 6g of fluid, or around about a teaspoon worth.
Regular - 6g to 9g of fluid, or about a teaspoon and half.
Super - You're looking at 9-12g of fluid here. About a dessert spoon worth. Ish.
Doesn't seem like a lot, does it? The reason absorbency comes into play is that tampon use has been highly associated with Toxic Shock Syndrome, or TSS. The short explanation is that TSS can develop in the body if the person leaves a tampon in place for too long. The longer the period of time, the higher the risk. Under four hours has been determined to be the general 'safe zone'. TSS is extremely dangerous and absolutely fatal if left untreated.
So a person with a light flow might be tempted to leave the tampon in place for longer than four hours if they feel that it hasn't yet been used up but they should not. This means that every four hours regardless of the absorbed amount the tampon must be replaced.
If you're lucky, you'll get to four hours. If you have a heavier flow you might have to replace it in two. For some unlucky people it can even be hourly. So you can see why keeping a large stock of multiple sizes can come in handy!
For clarification the size of the tampon is largely irrelevant to the size of the person. There's a very rare few who're unable to accommodate all three sizes. The size purely relates to the individual's flow rate and recommendation for replacement time. Often mini is recommended for young folks to start with, as flow is often lighter in early puberty than later on in life. Super is often recommended for older folks or those who've carried children as the body has become fine-tuned to the menstrual cycle and will do it's thing faster if given the opportunity. Ergo, higher flow rate.
THESE ARE NOT RULES. Every single body is different and some are blessed with a quick and light cycle their entire life. Jealous 🤣. If you have a partner who needs products or find yourself with a friend, family member or group member who needs them, don't just let them tell you the colour of the pack. Ask what size. Because if their preferred brand is not available (and yes, they do have differences as manufacturing process differs by brand) you will still be able to identify a different brand with the correct size that suits their needs.
So what are tampons good for in a medical emergency sense?
Tampons make pretty garbage bullet hole plugs despite what most people will tell you.
They're better than nothing of course, but they're by no means a solution to a problem. You have to have the right sized tampon for the gauge of the bullet that went in. If it's a through-and-through, you will need a larger one for the entry wound and a smaller one for the exit wound. Most people don't carry a combo of sizes in their kits but if you want it to be effective you really should.
Tampons supposedly work because as they fill, they expand. To correctly plug a wound you need to estimate the size required to fill the hole. It needs to put the right outwards pressure on the wound. It's also going to hurt light shiz to have an expanding dressing in your bullet hole... but that's really only a side concern. If you've been shot it's going to suck either way.
Of course in an emergency you gotta do what you gotta do. Just be ready to adjust and replace a smaller tampon with a larger one if it doesn't expand enough to actually put pressure on to entirely stop the blood flow. Try not to stick a super tampon in a hole caused by something small and narrow as it'll expand a LOT and cause more damage.
Once a tampon absorbs it's maximum amount if it's not putting enough outwards pressure on to stem the flow of the blood at the source. It will simply act as a really inefficient blocker. You're going to have just as much and just as quick blood flow coming out as if it weren't there at all once it's reached it's maximum capacity.
They're designed to absorb the fluid coming out and then be replaced. They can stem flow from a wound by allowing the wound the time to start clotting but with significant blood flow from a wound you're not going to get much utility out of them.
If the wound is impacting on any kind of artery tampons are completely useless. Worse than useless. Arterial blood flow will definitely push the tampon out faster than it can absorb blood to stem the flow. Don't even bother. If you need to stem arterial blood flow, wound packing as hard and as fast as you can manage is the only thing that will save your casualty's life.
So can tampons be used as a medical dressing? Sure. But with very limited utility and you really have to be aware of how much each product will expand to make use of them. If you plan to keep some in your emergency kit I recommend pulling a few of different sizes out to drop in a cup of water to see exactly how they respond so that you know what might be effective and what's just wasting your time.
You can increase their efficacy drastically by pouring some quick-clot into the wound first. But if you don't have quick-clot, in most cases you're not even really delaying the inevitable.
Tampons do effectively have an unlimited shelf life as they're mostly just cotton and/or rayon blends. So you can stack them as a barter item for a very long time.
Pads. Come in Liners, Regular, Super, Overnight, and Maternity sizes. Almost all brands in Aus have adhesive on the backs to stick them to the crotch of the underwear. Some have what's known as 'wings' which wrap around to the outside of the crotch. These wings not only help to hold the pad in place if you're moving around a lot but they also prevent leakage onto the material if your flow unexpectedly goes full "I hate you".
Liners - Generally used for the lead up or run down from a period. The body will release tiny amounts of fluid in advance of a period (generally a day or two and known as 'spotting'). Suitable literally only a few drops of liquid. Most people use these for a day or two either side but they can also be used on days where the body is being particularly petty and the natural lubrication in the body is excessive. This generally happens because of hormonal shift in the cycle. It's no biggy. Some folk have it, some don't. But it can be handy for those who do to use liners to help feel more comfortable. They're paper thin. Generally they do not come with wings as they're designed to be as inobtrusive as possible.
Regular - Similar to regular flow tampons in absorption. Has all the same hallmarks as a liner but can come with wings or without, and are much thicker.
Super - Similar to super tampons in absorption. Wings and no wings. Often thicker, but not always depending on the manufacture method.
Overnight - These are the chonkybois. They're very thick, but also very long in comparison to the others. This is because as you're laying down the fluid has the ability to run further. Unlike tampons, there is no TSS risk and you can therefore wear them much longer. Many folks prefer these for overnight because they don't have to set an alarm to wake up every four hours to change them. It leads that they will go a full 8 hour night without needing to be changed with a 'regular' flow. They can also be used as maternity pads, as they're quite similar.
Maternity - Maternity pads are extremely similar to Overnighters, and in reality are mostly a marketing ploy. That being said, some can be slightly higher absorbency and often have slightly softer upper layers as the area is frankly rather upset with you. Softer textures can provide some relief. Flow after childbirth can often be fast-paced and heavy and that's the main reason for them but overnighters will fill this role just as effectively in most cases.
As you can see though the amount of fluid absorbed is still quite low in the grand scheme of things. But when it comes to pads are they effective in a medical emergency?
Pads make pretty good emergency wound pads. The layer of plastic backing which has no absorption means that there is an opportunity for the pad to stem blood flow of shallow wounds like road rash or long but shallow cuts. You will still need bandages to hold them in place, or a hand that can be tied up with applying pressure to hold it in place.
I would also suggest a store of super or overnight pads for the use of light bladder leakage for someone that has mild incontinence. Elderly, sick, infirm, or mum's who've had their muscles mangled by carrying bubs can all gain utility from them, but they really don't absorb enough for more than light leakage. They give you time to get to a toilet, but someone that's entirely incapacitated would really need something like adult diapers instead. No shame in stocking a few packs of those too in case you have someone that becomes very ill or injured!
I can't really comment on the shelf life of pads because they generally don't hang around that long for me to find out. Unlike nappies which will gradually absorb water into the crystals over time and loose their efficacy as a result, pads have multiple layers of highly absorbent cloth-like paper. So I've had some that have sat in my bag as emergency supplies for a year and they've worked as effectively as new.
I'd hazard a guess that the glue used for adhesion to clothing would die eventually if kept in heat but I have not experienced that myself. Regardless, the product will still do what it's supposed to do. Absorb fluid.
Reusable products. Menstrual cups, period undies, washable pads/liners. All are a prepper's best friend because if you can successfully use them they last a very long time and negate the requirement for sourcing disposable products every 3-4 weeks. They're a money saver over the long term as well.
They have a more expensive outlay initially and they can be difficult to get right. Cups for example vary drastically in size and shape and many folk have to try out several before they get to their 'goldilocks' cup.
This can make it an expensive product to get started as obviously you can't return a cup if it isn't right for you, and for hygiene's sake it shouldn't be handed over to someone else. That being said if SHTF and wastage is a concern they obviously CAN be sterilized as they're medical grade silicone. But it's a bit like wearing the cleaned and sterilized undies of a stranger. Sure, they're clean... But you really don't want to anyway! Haha.
I don't recommend stockpiling most of these unless it's for direct family/friends who're already experienced in their use so that you can stockpile (far less of!) their exact preferred item. You can't just 'make do' with a cup that's shape doesn't suit your body. You can make do with a pad or tampon that's the wrong absorbency as it'll still work just for a lesser amount of time. A poorly fitted cup will simply leak as if it weren't there and can be painful or uncomfortable.
Reusable products have a very limited medical utility purely because of their very nature. Reusable pads can be used as a wound pad much as disposable pads can however.
And after all that, why should EVERYONE stockpile these products?
Because if SHTF the largest and most valuable purpose for these products to the person that doesn't need to use them is bartering. Someone who's on their last tampon will trade a whole heckin' lot for a box of them. They're like toilet paper, with even more social stigma if you can't access them. If I had run out and someone offered me a pack of pads or a bag of flour and I had neither one, I'm taking the pads. every. single. time.
Interesting how social conditioning works isn't it! We could make do with torn up cloth but the outcome would be extremely uncomfortable, inconvenient, annoying to clean, and will restrict your movement. When you're in a lot of pain and feeling unwell those small inconveniences all add up to a pretty miserable time.
Disposable sanitary products will be as barterable as any food or hygiene item if SHTF and if you have a large stockpile you're a million miles ahead of anyone else that HASN'T stockpiled them.