YA GON’ BLEED.
Let’s put this to rest: bears aren’t after your lady blood. This horrible myth was born when two hiking women were mauled to death by bears, causing a medieval-style panic which characterized over half the population as attractive to bears and therefore unfit to venture outdoors. The study, “Reactions of Black Bears to Human Menstrual Odors” in the Journal of Wildlife Management says nah. Dr. Steve Kajiura of Florida Atlantic University's Shark Lab also tells us sharks aren’t vying for our crotches either. Mosquitoes, too, are attracted to carbon dioxide, not blood.
reasons (perceived lack of strength or skill) but having hiked with and worked on expeditions with many men, most admit they never considered how I managed menstruation because it never crossed their minds.” Which is why my reflexive reaction when I didn’t get a straightforward answer about how to curb my crotch flow in the wild was disappointing: “survivalism must not be for me.” I’ve never had a particularly loving relationship with my cycle as is, and the idea that this uncontrollable uterine phenomenon would hinder my chance at survival didn’t make me feel particularly wilderness-competent. And if I, someone who regularly spends time in the wild and was actively seeking lessons in outdoor survival, didn’t feel welcomed into the practice by nature of birthright, surely there must be other uterus-having individuals that would shy away from learning about survival based on that alone. In an effort to lower that barrier to entry, I’ve looked to the wild women of the world to help me practically answer some of those questions. While basic principles of survival apply across environments, here I’m focusing on the biome where I live, the temperate coniferous forests of Northern California, which will have more in the way of natural resources than the arctic tundra, but fewer than a tropical rainforest. Hopefully you’ll never find yourself trying to survive in the wild on accident, but if you do, know that being a woman and having your period doesn’t make you unfit for outdoor adventure; just like in every other aspect in life, we are capable of accomplishing what men do while addressing an added challenge. Women have been surviving and thriving while menstruating for centuries, and there’s no reason to stop now. Get outdoors, get wild, and survive.
LEGGO MY EGG-O The human female egg is the largest cell in the human body. It is the only human cell that can be seen with the naked eye.
Okay, but what to do with the blood? When focusing on building a shelter and fire out of natural materials, the mess of free-bleeding can be a distraction. Fortunately, the majority of humanity’s history took place prior to the invention of tampons and pads, so we just have to know what to look for. A sea sponge is a good option, but difficult to obtain. If you have clothing, cotton strips can be used like a pad, but weigh the cost with the benefits: it’s more important for you to stay warm than to stay clean. According to Kendra Lynne of The Prepper Project, “Native American women would have used plant based materials, such as moss or inner bark shavings of Cedar, for sanitation needs. They wove plant fibers, or used animal hair to make pads.” Wilderness-survival-skills.com agrees that moss, with its natural antibiotic components, makes for a sanitary option.
YA GON’ ACHE.
This is where preparation is incredibly important: do NOT consume a plant if you aren’t 100% certain of what it is. With that said, Raspberry Leaf tea can help ease the pain of cramping, and Garden Sage tea can even reduce menstrual flow. Lavender rubbed on the abdomen can also reduce pain. LegendsofAmerica.com has a more exhaustive list of plants that can aid in period-related problems.
YA GON’ BE TIRED.
Rest. Survival is about allocation of resources, and that includes your own. My period makes me exhausted without any exertion at all, so prioritizing energy would be that much more important in a survival scenario. Build a shelter. Build a fire. Find water. Forget about food for now. Writer Rachel Jones recalled that on a 3-month wilderness excursion, “I stopped getting my period because I was so malnourished. I wasn’t eating enough.” Anyone who has seen Naked and Afraid knows eating is rarely a priority, since humans can survive a few weeks without food, so the body will redirect natural patterns to support emergency changes. That said, it is NOT recommended to stop eating in order to curb a period, because again, it is far more important to obtain energy than to ease the discomfort of menstruation.
SPACE AGE A 1964 NASA report questioned matching a “temperamental psychophysiologic human” (aka a woman on her cycle) with a “complicated machine” (aka a spacecraft). It concluded that “it seems doubtful that women will be in demand for space roles in the very near future.”
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