Traveling Can Impact Your Menstrual Cycle-Here's How to Manage It

"As well as teaching me and my younger sister to exfoliate thoroughly in order to get the best tan (it was the early 2000s), and taking us to get our legs waxed (again, 2000s), we would also make a visit to the doctor to get a prescription of Northisterone, a period-delaying medication that would ensure we wouldn't get our periods while abroad. I didn't use tampons until my twenties for this very reason-I'd simply never had a reason."

"It's a shame I didn't take more notice, as when I went to New Zealand in my late twenties, I completely forgot to pack my contraceptive pill. This led to me not only getting my period while there, but also having to abruptly come off it completely, which resulted in months of irregular periods and hormonal confusion. The thing that really irked me the most? I was traveling with four male friends, none of whom obviously had to think about such things."

"From avoiding white summer dresses and constantly having to plan ahead and remember to pack enough products, to just being grumpy, depressed or in pain, there's no denying that periods can be a massive bummer when you're on vacation. And even if you're someone who is typically pain-free and not as bothered by the side effects of having a period, there's always the chance that simply the act of traveling can have a knock-on effect on your menstrual cycle."

Periods often require deliberate vacation planning, including using period-delaying medication, scheduling to avoid periods abroad, and adapting product packing and clothing choices. Abrupt changes in contraceptive use can trigger months of irregular periods and hormonal disruption. Menstruation can cause pain, low mood, and logistical constraints that affect enjoyment of travel. Travel itself can alter menstrual timing: crossing time zones, reduced sleep, different eating patterns, and travel stress can affect reproductive hormones. The circadian rhythm, the internal clock regulating sleep, hormone release, body temperature, and digestion, is sensitive to light and routine, so jet lag and unusual light exposure can change cycle patterns.

Read at Conde Nast Traveler