womens troubles!

[thaya]

I have a personal question for all you female surfers out there. being new to surfing I hadn't really thought about this yet, but do you surf when its THAT time of the month? My brain tells me to go for it, but my body says no no no, stay in, watch dvds and eat chocolate. I was just wondering, because if you do a full day at the beach do you:
a) surf in pain and not really get anywhere (or maybe forget about feeling crap when you're out there?)
b) have to find a beach with toilets nearby?
c) just forget about the issue and sort yourself out at the end of the day?

I hope this doesn't sound too gross but I'm really not sure about it - most beaches i've been to don't have toilets anywhere near.

Apologies to any guys who read this!
x

[pat42]

I'm not female, but at that time of month I'd be too worried about sharks chasing me, to go surfing. I'd stay at home and watch DVD's

[.Jen.]

They dont call it 'surfing the crimson tide' for nothing ya know

Exercise (in any form) is actually a good way of getting rid of cramps, swimming especially. Surfing takes your mind off it too - youre generally too busy to concentrate on it.

Just make sure you dont go out with a bikini on - theres pictures floating round the internet of muppets in bikinis with their strings hanging out lol

[Sweet!]

I'm a bit answering but yea! For sure head out! You'll so be the best judge on whether you feel up to it physically. Just give it a go.

If you can keep all tight and tucked in it should be sweet as! If it gets messy just hold out for a day or so. You know.

I always take drugs for the worst of the pain, it wouldn't be possible if I didn't... yeas I make sure I'm all good to go at a beach with toilets and then I cruize out happily.



All you other fullas should be happy because we'll be attracting the sharkies away from you if there's any trouble anyway.

So Dowaaryaboudit!!

[jennie]

hehehe yer i know where your coming from thaya...i think the whole female population sympathises!

I usually take pain killers at that time just because i would not be able to function if i didnt! Once the cramps are dealt with i usualy feel ok to do exercise and surf.

I Just make sure i take "the nescessities" with me to the beach and try and pick a beach with toilets, but thats not always possible so yes on a couple of occasions i have had to bag it and bin it! Sometimes its the only option!

[SDCali]

I agree, get out there, the exercise does wonders. Cramps are less intense when you exercise. Never miss out on an opportunity to get out in the water.

[temptations_wings]

toke. then all cramps and pain shall dissapear

[surfinforlife]

Im just going to blurt out the damn obvious here, with that being my personality and all!! if guys are reading this and getting grossed out its their own fault anyways!

So as long as you wear a tampon then you shouldnt have any dramas. A normal surfing session normally wont last longer than a few hours so this should easily keep you covered if there arent any toilets around. Maybe avoid surfing on the first few heaviest days where an "accident" may be more likely to happen.

In regards to cramps, take something containing ibuprofen (the best is nurofen plus in Australia, not sure if you get that brand where you are from!) it always works wonders for me and all my friends!

Finally, if you really want to surf but dont want to do it at THAT time of the month, then depending on how old you are, speak to your doctor about the contraceptive pill. You can VERY SAFELY 'skip' every few months of inactive pills and only get your rags once every few months, so voila there it is, but most of all...HAVE FUN!!!!!

[David S]

Apparently sharks don't go for menstrual blood so I wouldn't worry about that bit. They do get attracted to urine (a sign of being in distress) so neither sex should piss in your wettie!!

[.Jen.]

Good painkiller is Diclofenac Sodium. Its only available on prescription (or if you check out some of the spam threads before they get deleted lol) but it works wonders and lasts quite a time too.

[CheeZee]

toke. then all cramps and pain shall dissapear

" here , here "

it does actually work THAT well ladies ..even if your not a smoker consuming just a small amount of cannabis/maryJ will deffo relieve cramps and even get rid of them totally for the duration of yer cycle.

It is now SO recognised as a remedy for cramps it is nearly getting as much press as relieving some of the pains of MS' ..so it must work me darhlings

[PapaW]

And its natural!

My partner swears by it.

[thaya]

thanks for the replies - the subject of pain wasn't the main issue for me (but I guess it could be a problem). thanks for all the tips though. i've spent the last 15 years trying different prescription painkillers and herbal (!) remedies but nothing really works for me (well, nothing where I can actually function, let alone surf!) the thing i was wondering about was the 'messiness' of it! i think i'll probably just have to judge it and find a beach near a toilet! i don't want to miss those swells!
x

[SDCali]

During excercise the flow is reduced to practically nothing. I am a former swimmer and know many female swimmers and sometimes practices are over 2 hours long, sometimes as long as 4 hours, and they don't have to change during practice.

[dougirwin13]

Haven't read a lot of the other responses.

My wife generally doesn't surf then because of cramps, mood changes and discomfort. For women the mood thing is fairly important and who wants to deal with pain while in the water, right?

When those things aren't an issue she'll go. Exercise reduces your flow. So does being immersed in water. Moreso cold water. So she quite happily makes do with a tampon. But you might want to be near a toilet block or similar if you plan on a really long session.

I wouldn't worry about sharks. Contrary to popular opinion it isn't actually blood (it only contains a little blood! check out http://onewoman.com/redspot/fast.html#rblood) and, if you observe the above, none of it is going to get into the water.

Plenty of appropriate advice on http://forums.surfline.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

-doug