Surviving My Period in Moldova

Living abroad can be hard enough as a woman without having to think about and deal with a monthly bloody Mary special at the downstairs bar. Every culture deals with menstruation in a different way and so it can be difficult to find feminine hygiene products to suit your needs while traveling. Packing a large amount of those products can be cumbersome as well as unnecessary. It is important to know what is available in the countries that you plan to visit.

Here in Moldova, tampons and sanitary napkins are available but tampons with applicators can be expensive and hard to find. In Mexico, tampons are not culturally accepted, as it is widely misunderstood to affect the state of a woman’s virginity. If you are a near a large city, it shouldn’t be a problem. In both India and Thailand you will be able to find the products you need in the cities but they will become harder and harder to find in smaller villages.

Surviving My Period in Moldova.

My suggestion? Instead of pumping your body full of unnecessary hormones and using your birth control to skip the monthly vaginal cleansing that your period is intended for, I suggest that you buy the DivaCup or something like it. This little non-absorbent menstrual cup is clean, comfortable and easy to use. It is worn internally and simply collects the menstrual flow. I even found a company selling a version of it in Moldova. They call it “Lady Cup Moldova”!

Top photo for Surviving My Period in Moldova by Unsplash.