Confession (that I feel zero guilt about): I called it last week when I shared in my newsletter that I had a premonition. I was about to get my period. 

I was engaging in the STOP practice (read more about that here) and had this radical insight. I was being emotionally rattled because my period was about to come.

Well, high five me! My period arrived just days later and I’ve been deep in the blood bath of this monthly flow. 

So, as promised, I’ll be sharing a bit today about what I do to manage my period when I want to bike. It’s actually taken me some time to figure this out. Perhaps this might sound like a bloody awful read, but I encourage you to move past the squirm… maybe you yourself aren’t menstruating, but there is someone in your life that could use this insight.

Menstruation is a regular reality for a lot of people, including myself. 

For many years, people have tried to get me to use a menstrual cup like a Diva cup. This truly freaked me out. And then, once I got an IUD, I was told to not use a menstrual cup. 

So whenever my girlfriends would bring it up, I’d shut that conversation down. “Can’t use a Diva cup. I have an IUD!” 

TBH- The research is very unclear and the instructions have shifted to say that you can use an IUD and a menstrual cup, but there is a potential risk of causing the IUD to be dislodged.

Last year, I was preparing for my Wild Gift Fellowship. The Fellowship involved a multiweek  backpacking trek in the wilderness of Idaho (read BACKPACKING… no biking involved). On my initial call, with the Executive Director, Cassidy, and Program Director, Jacinta, they asked if I had any questions/things on my mind. I really wanted to talk about my period. 

Has this ever happened to you? You are excited about a big adventure, but then figuring out how you might manage your period becomes a worry!

I was going to be deep in the wilderness and what would happen if my period hit in the backcountry? I knew I’d have to pack in and out everything, including used TP. That meant if I used tampons, I’d be carrying in tampons and carrying out bloody tampons. That sounded heavy and yucky! 

And what truly floored me was Cassidy & Jacinta were so game to talk about menstruation and backpacking. Ya awesome humans!!

Jacinta encouraged me to check out a menstrual disc, called the nixit. You insert the silicone device into your vaginal canal and it stays in place by being tucked behind your pubic bone, rather than via suction. Every 12 hours you have to take it out, wash it off with water and put it back in. 

A few days later, I ordered a nixit online and tried it out from the comfort of my own bathroom. I wanted to get the hang of it outside of the backcountry. It took me some time to get the hang of inserting and removing it, but suddenly I wasn’t purchasing and needing pads or tampons

NOTE: I am not being paid by nixit to share these insights! 

When I removed the nixit, I discovered on my heavier days of my period, there was a very small amount of blood on my lady parts that would stain my underwear, even if I did my best to wipe it away with TP. The amount of blood was so minimal, and I wondered if wearing black undies would do the trick. It did! 

I got my period while on the start of my trek. I used the nixit and my black undies. When the nixit needed to be removed, I would take it out, unscrew my Nalgene and pour filtered water over my nixit. When my period was done, I put the nixit in a little pouch and didn’t have to carry out of the backcountry bloody pads and tampons. Victory! 

I have become a nixit fan. And back in life in the city, I use a nixit.

So you might be saying, Ellen, this has nothing to do with biking. 

Okay… let me get there! 

Before I learned about the nixit, I’d dread going on bike rides during my period. I couldn’t wear my comfy bike shorts because you aren’t supposed to wear underwear with your bike shorts, as this can cause chafing. 

And wearing a menstrual pad with bike shorts wasn’t a good fit AND tampons would always leak when I was on my heavier days of my period. 

So it was either don’t go biking OR go biking not in bike shorts and potentially feel my butt really hurt. 

Now, I have a plan when it’s my period, so I can bike! 

I wear a nixit and I wear my fun Wild Rye bike shorts that have a padded section (called the “chamois”) that’s black. 

The nixit gathers the blood. The black chamois ensures if there is a thin layer of blood it doesn’t stain my bike shorts and my butt is more comfy as I’m in padded bike shorts. Win! Win! Win!

This is what works for me and my body. Perhaps it will work for you? Perhaps you have some golden trick when you are menstruating to still enjoy biking? I know it’s taboo to talk about menstruation, but there’s no shade in having a body that menstruates… so if you have a golden trick , would you be so kind to drop me a line and share yours at [email protected]? Together we can lift one another up! 

And if you have gone through this little newsletter and you don’t menstruate, welcome to the world of a menstruating body in today’s world! It’s an important act of solidarity to understand bodies that are different than yours.

Wheels up, 

Ellen 

PS: Circle and Spoke invites you to join us July 18-20th for Pedal, Paddle and Pause in Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania.

The first edition of Pedal, Paddle & Pause sold out last year and we know it will sell out again! Over half the seats for this year's second edition have been sold. Lock in your seat today before you miss out on the fun!