Anatomy. Indeed. And uric acid. And laundryā¦ and panty liners were not designed to draw uric acid away from very delicate tissues.
And I havenāt known quite how to address this idea that one can just ādrip dryā other than to say that as a person who has to teach about sexual health and anatomy, that not every female person can easily ādrip dryā.
It really, really bothers me that people make commands or assertions (that can come off as very smug) about bladder control, holding capacity, or being able to shake and have nothing left to deal withā¦
Humans have variably anatomy. Many women would be helpless to ādrip dryā. Without wiping, uric acid can get into places that you really do not want it to be ā especially if one is āolderā and does not have the same level of protective body fluid that she had in her youth.
Iām sorry to have to do a health lesson hereā¦ and I really was sitting on it lest I be disciplined for offering āmedical adviceā ā honestly though, this is just hygiene information to prevent injury and to ask people to consider that their ājust do like I doā can come across as āwhat the hell is wrong with you?ā And women have enough of that to deal with as it is.
āWhy carry a pound of toiletries?! I only need a comb and a toothbrush!ā opine the men. Well, my friendsā¦ weigh your āfeminine hygiene productsā. Oh says another, āJust buy them in Spain! Itās not a third world country!ā Sureā¦ but people have favourite brandsā¦ and so yes, they might carry a half pound or more of packagingā¦ that will at least diminish over the trip (Probably. ā¦most 6-week trips will mean a diminishing supply).
Not everyone is past the age of managing āfeminine concernsā on a through hike.
I wish that people would be cognizant of the fact that age, reproductive stage of life, previous injury or illness, and the desire not to cause new injury do equate to needing individual attention. One size does not fit all in this area.
I say this with compassion for anyone who canāt comfortably manage the 17K without a rest stop in a barā¦. For the person with PCOS who may want to go on a through-hike (even if it comes with decent beds and plumbing along much of the way, the physical aspect of camino is a through-hike)ā¦ for the person who has survived bladder cancer, a hysterectomy, pelvic floor issues with ageingā¦.
Please, pleaseā¦ be gentle with each other.