How do you keep your periods discreet, especially from those you live with?}

25 comments

1. The smell? There shouldn’t be a smell so strong it’s noticeable. If that’s the case then maybe you need to change your bin more? Don’t let it stew in there, especially in the summer. As for disposing of the used products, I don’t. I use a menstrual cup so I don’t even have to discreetly smuggle anything into the bathroom or anything. Just rinse and put it back in.

   A side note, there really isn’t any need to keep your periods ‘discreet.’ They’re normal and just a part of being a woman. If anyone can’t handle that then they’re in serious need of a reality check.

2. i’ve never witnessed any smell engulfing a room or house 😰 but changing your pad/tampon often and showering would make that less of a possibility. you can cover the used pads or tampons with the wrapping of a new one or use tissue or something else to fold it into before throwing them away.

   i don’t feel the need to be discreet anyway. it’s nothing to be embarrassed about

3. I know this doesn’t answer your question, but you shouldn’t have to keep your period secret. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Good luck

4. I have my own bathroom but if I were concerned about it I would get a small trash can with a lid and put it in the cabinet under the sink or somewhere else where others won’t mess with it. I would use that to throw away the napkins and the lid would contain the smell as long as you emptied it on a regular basis. On trash days you can take out the bag, tie it up, and put it under other trash in a bigger can.

5. 1. I shower.
   2. I wrap the product like a normal person and put it in the bin. If someone is opening the bin and smelling it, that’s on them for being weird. Opening a bin to put more trash in when there are used sanitary products inside will not “engulf” the house/room. Not even a small bathroom. Then the rubbish is taken out when the small bin is full.
   3. I simply put them in the bin and don’t go into the living room. I do not go into the living room and announce to others that I have just discarded period products.

   Discreet (adjective): careful and prudent in one’s speech or actions, especially in order to keep something confidential or to avoid embarrassment.

   It’s a period, they are natural, not something we must hide from everyone to avoid “embarrassment.” It’s just a casual thing, like how we all change our underwear and put it in the washer.

6. Perhaps try something like Stink Free Odor Seal Waste Collection Bags for pets. They’re of a size that would contain a pad, and are made to be sealed and thrown away.

   There are also eco-friendly versions of such bags as well, which are made from materials that break down easily.

7. I’m not discreet, they’re aware that I’m on my period because I’ll tell them. That said, there is no smell. I shower and I properly dispose of product.

8. Try a diva cup

9. Why hide it. It is a completely normal process of a woman’s body. Of course not to leave bloody things everywhere is obvious.

10. I’ve switched to a Diva Cup so dealing with tampons and pads isn’t an issue (plus it’s better for the environment). Other than that, I don’t really go out of my way to hide my period. It’s a normal thing for uterus havers to go through so I don’t feel the need to keep it “discreet”

11. You shouldn’t have to hide it, but also there shouldn’t be an overwhelming smell. A slight smell if you open a small trashcan is one thing but to engulf the room or house? Somethings wrong in that case. Either the trash isn’t being taken out soon enough, there is something medically wrong, or just try changing your pad or tampon more frequently even if it’s not full.

12. I don’t keep it secret. Everyone knows because I tell them and warn them to be nice or suffer my wrath.

    As for the pads and stuff, I have a closed bin in the bathroom, wrap it in toilet paper and the wrap from the new pad, then throw it in the trash. It shouldn’t stink. If it does, maybe see a doctor to check just in case. If it’s a normal smell, because each body is different, then probably just change the trash out.

    I also saw some scented little period product disposal bags sold.

13. Diva cup

14. In all honesty, you shouldn’t have to keep it discreet. It’s part of life and shouldn’t have to be hidden.

    As for your concern about the smell – there shouldn’t be a smell? There certainly shouldn’t be one so bad it engulfs a house or room. If you’re concerned about things being left in the bin, use a cup. I switched years ago and they’re amazing.

15. The smell? I change the trash everyday. Discret? Not at all, I tell everybody, and cry, and talk about cramps, and ask people to leave me alone in my bed and sufer… My coworkers also know in general… But they are all women. So…
    We try to see if we regulate toguether or not.

16. Im confused. It doesnt smell that bad unless you just leave it there for days.

    You take your pad/tampon, wrap it with enough paper towel, if it is a pad might want to roll it as a little ball and then wrap it, put it in the bin (if you want to be extra, you can spray it with lysol or similar), take out the trash every day. If your used pads/tampons smell that much, you might want to consider talking to a doctor.

17. Smell? In my case I always put the tampons/pads in the garbage. The bin in te bathroom is for hair, papers, wipes, daily pads. Etc. A few months ago I changed to The CUP, so that it’s not a problem ( it never was, but there’s no waste).

18. 1. Do you mean the smell of your body or your garbage? For your body, shower daily and wash with a gentle cleanser (the external part of your crotch, your mons, your vulva, and your labia, do *not* put soap inside your vagina). There might still be an odor, but if it’s overwhelming, go to your doctor. For your garbage, use a garbage bag and change it regularly.
    2. The smell when you open your bin: Again, change it regularly. I also have an air freshener in my bathroom. But if you’re saying that your tampons/pads smell so bad that they can be smelled through the house, again, go to the doctor.
    3. Disposal with discretion: Wrap it in toilet paper before you dump it. If someone goes poking around in the garbage, they’re responsible for what they find.

    Also, you don’t have to be ashamed or embarrassed about getting your period, and I get not making it everyone’s business, but you don’t need to panic if someone realizes you’re on it. It’s a normal, natural, and healthy part of life. If you weren’t getting it, that would be a cause for concern.

19. I don’t, i don’t feel shame for natural body functions.

20. I have to double up so when I change my tampon and pad I wrap my tampons into the pad and roll it up tightly. Then I place the old pad in the new pad wrapper. If I’m not changing pads I wrap the tampon in tissue and place it in a empty tissue roll. I spray the trash can with lysol spray or cleaner with bleach and no smell.

21. I really don’t. In the same way people will say ‘brb, gotta pee’ I might say like pause movie and say ‘one sec, I wanna change my pad real quick’.

22. I am not discreet at all haha. My room mate is a girl so we always talk about ours. My bf doesn’t care either. I don’t go around telling random people or co workers but it’s a normal human function so I don’t feel the embarrassment about it anymore. If you had when mentioned the word period to me in my teens to early 20s I would have freaked out tho. So maybe age is a factor.

23. There would normally be no prominent odor.

    Bin odor – the same as other smells in the bathroom: take the trash out, run the bathroom vent, spritz of lysol to cover odor I guess.

    Just wrap pads or tampons in toilet paper and toss in the trash.

    Just as you would not *advertise* that you are going into the bathroom to poop, but you also don’t go out of your way to hide it – your period is the same way. You don’t have to go to great lengths to hide that it exists, but you also don’t have to verbally announce it. It is just a normal bodily function.

24. I have a bin with a lid on it and my sanitary pads don’t smell. They wrapped up well and if I have them, I put them in sani bags, or nappy bags.

25. I don’t hide it. They go in the little garbage can I keep in the bathroom and it gets changed as needed. It’s natural.