To swim whilst menstruating?

[awomensworkisneverdone]

So funny light hearted conversation with sister and friend Friday and totally random.
I swim every Friday evening with my other half and my dc.
My sister told me it was vile for me to swim whilst bleeding. My friend disagrees and said it fine.
I did go swimming as my period was pretty much over (day 5). Would I swim whilst heavy? I would say no I wouldn’t. Would you?
Sister says it’s not fair on others swimming and friend says she’s wouldn’t care. Are there actually any rules about it? Would you? Would a tamping be suitable if you did want to swim? I’m not sure about others but if I bath whilst using a tampon it will eventually fill up with water and expand rapidly! or is it just me?? Would you swim during your period?

[WeWere0nABreak]

Dahlietta - does "faux-naive" mean "hairy of hand and yellow of nail"??

[lollygaggy]

I use a tampon in the bath or I'd be bathing in blood.

[matchingpjs]

I didnt use tampons until a few years ago. As a teenager swimming none of us used tampons. The cold water stopped the flow

[Storm4star]

How on earth does hot or cold water stop the flow of blood? Please explain using science

I cannot as I am not a scientist! All I know is when I have a bath and am mensturating (and i’m someone who likes the water as hot as I can bear) no blood comes out during my bath. It would never even occur to me to wear a tampon in the bath! And I have heavy periods too. At most, maybe a spot or two comes out and I just rinse off after. I wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing a tampon in the bath, especially if what others say is true and it fills up with water!

[Dahlietta]

WeWere, I'm not sure. At least a GF, perhaps!

[SunnyCoco]

Yes you can swim with a tampon.
Professional swimmers in the last Olympic games made a point of publicising this fact as it is still a taboo in some countries.

Cold water acts as an inhibitor making it extremely unlikely for blood to come out anyway. It’s why people find it hard to intentionally urinate in the sea etc as you are in cold water.

[MrsDilber]

There are unsupervised anuses swishing about in swimming pools (shudder).

[awomensworkisneverdone]

Oh the peeing in the pool lol my dad use to say it was ok to do that but I cringe now when I think about it

[TorviBrightspear]

"Your period doesn't slow down or stop in water — it just may not flow outside the vagina because of the counter pressure of the water," says Dr. Nucatola (Senior Director, Medical Services at Planned Parenthood Federation of America). "When you're in the bathtub or the shower your period does not stop and it's no different than being in a swimming pool or the ocean." 31 Oct 2017

I found this online^^ I always knew periods don't stop just because you're in water, as my periods are heavy enough that I can't swim if I don't use my mooncup or a tampon.

[Wide0penSpace]

welshweasel

I swim using a tampon/mooncup, unless very light in which case I’d go without. I also pee whilst swimming if I’m training/racing and need to go.

This is also gross. Why can’t you get out or go to the toilet before you get in? Seriously I’m baffled that some people think this is ok. It’s not.

[awomensworkisneverdone]

So chlorine cleanses the water? So it makes no difference if you wanted to swim on or off your cycle? It would do no harm?
I really need to look into this online as I have no idea at all.

[awomensworkisneverdone]

Can I please have advice from people who use the moon cup please. Where can I get one? Do I need more than one (reusable!)
How much and are they effective in the pool? They don’t move around or accidentally fall out? Call me naive I don’t mind I just have no knowledge of them.

[SunnySkiesSleepsintheMorning]

And this is why I am grossed out and won’t swim. People are grim.

[awomensworkisneverdone]

You never go swimming because you think people will bleed or pee in the pool?
It’s like anything really isn’t it ?
Won’t buy an ice cream from ice cream van as man may not of wash his hands?
Not sitting on that bench just in case
There’s any body fluid residing on it ( sweat ect) and so on...

[welshweasel]

Wide open - urine is sterile, there’s no health issue. Ask any professional swimmer/triathlete, they’ll all tell you they pee in the pool. If you’re swimming an hour/90 minute set, getting out to pee just isn’t practical. When you do a triathlon everyone learns to pee just before they exit the water so less likely you’ll have to go on the bike (incidentally many triathletes pee whilst cycling too, which I find more unpleasant). Swimming pools are full of kids wee anyway!

[welshweasel]

www.theguardian.com/science/2017/mar/01/how-much-pee-is-in-our-swimming-pools-new-urine-test-reveals-the-truth

[awomensworkisneverdone]

Omg I can’t believe how many people pee in the pool!!
That’s insane. As weird as I feel about that I still wouldn’t stop going swimming especially as it’s how children learn to swim which to me is really important. And it’s fun

[cadburyegg]

As everyone else says you can swim with a tampon in.

My mum used to write me a note to excuse me from swimming when I had my period in school but that’s because I was 13-14 and wasn’t brave enough to use tampons then.

[Lucked]

I have very heavy periods so I might skip it athe start of my cycle even with a tampon but towards the end yes with tampon.

I probably bleed less whilst swimming compared to jogging because I am horizontal with no impact but it doesn’t stop.

[Cockmagic]

You must have some sized vagina for a tampon to fill with pool water whilst it's up there.

Are you inserting it correctly?

[TheFairyCaravan]

I don’t ever get in swimming pools for the reasons on this thread. Why are some people so fecking grim?

And fwiw urine is not sterile that’s as much as a myth as a cold water stops the flow of your period. Here

[FissionChips]

I googled and it’s very common, nothing to do with the size, seems to be to do with the tilt of it or something magic.

[awomensworkisneverdone]

Nope just a normal sized vagina but it definitely gets water in it. And yes been using tampons for 16 years almost so definitely know I’m using correctly. Maybe having babies made a difference I couldn’t really say? I remember it happening from very early on though. I do have a tilted womb so could be a factor.?

[Fluffyears]

My flow stops in the bath. I have heavy periods but for some reason if I get in the bath there is no flow, sometimes afterwards it stops for a while as well. It’s quite strange.

[PalePinkSwan]

Mine stops in the bath, I’ve always assumed it was just gravity as obv the vagina is sideways rather than pointing down? It all comes out after the bath though.