How to Shower After Gym Class While on Your Period

Know the rules at your school. In some cases you may be required to shower after gym class, but in other cases it may be optional. Find out what the policy is at your school and whether they are willing to make exceptions.

• Be sure to consider that you may be sweaty and smelly if you choose not to shower after gym class. Choosing not to shower works best if the activities during class do not cause you to sweat much or if you have gym at the end of the day.
• Consider talking to your gym teacher if you are uncomfortable showering at school during your period. He or she may let you do a less strenuous activity that will not require showering afterwards.

Understand your locker room setup. Your options for showering during your period will depend on what kind of setup your locker room has. If you have communal showers, you will have fewer options than you will if you have private shower areas. Be sure to understand how much privacy you will have when showering when deciding on the best method for you.

• No matter what your locker room is like, it is possible to shower during your period without drawing any unwanted attention to yourself, so don't worry!

Decide on your preferred method of protection. When you get your period, you have three basic choices for how to collect the blood: a sanitary napkin (also called a pad), which sticks to your underwear and absorbs blood; a tampon, which is a small piece of cotton with a string on the end that is inserted into the vagina to absorb blood; or a menstrual cup, which is a silicon cup that is inserted in the vagina and collects blood.^[1]

• You can play sports with any kind of menstrual protection, so choose whichever method you find most comfortable.^[2]
• If you need to swim during gym class, you will need to use a tampon or menstrual cup because sanitary napkins will absorb water from the pool.^[3]
• If you have communal showers that offer no privacy, a tampon is probably your best option because you can leave it in while you shower and change it in the privacy of a toilet stall afterwards. A menstrual cup may also work as long as you do not have to empty it during your shower.

Keep supplies handy. Any time you have your period away from home, it's a good idea to make sure you have sanitary supplies on you. If you will be dealing with your period in gym class, it's a good idea to keep them in a discreet bag that you can bring with you wherever you need it.^[4]

• If you plan on bringing pads or tampons into the shower area, make sure they are in a waterproof bag. If they get wet, they will no longer be effective.
• If you use a menstrual cup, you don't need to bring any extra supplies with you, but you will need to plan on removing the cup and rinsing it off.^[5]
• If you are using pads, you may want to consider packing a clean pair of underwear with a pad already applied so that you will be able to change into them quickly after your shower. Just be sure to keep them in a separate bag so the pad stays clean and sanitary.

Figure out if you will remove your protection before you shower. Depending on the kind of sanitary product you use and how much privacy you have in the shower, you may choose to leave your protection in place during your shower or remove it.

• If you use a tampon, you can keep it in while you shower if you wish. You may want to do this if you have a heavy flow, as it will prevent any blood from getting on the shower floor.
• If you are wearing a pad, you will need to remove it in order to shower. Depending on the size of the shower area, you may be able to keep your clothes on until you are in a private area. This will make it easy to remove the old pad.
• If you have privacy, a shower is the perfect opportunity to remove your menstrual cup at school because you can rinse it out without having to use a sink. If you are having a light flow and do not need to empty your menstrual cup, you can leave it in while you shower.^[6]
• Keep in mind that if you remove any old sanitary products or put on any new ones while you are in the shower area, you will need to have a discreet way to dispose of them when you leave the shower. It's a good idea to bring some toilet paper (in a waterproof bag) into the shower area with you so you will have something to wrap up the pad or tampon in.
• If there's no room to remove your old tampon or pad in the shower area, remove it in a toilet stall right before your shower.