The unfortunate truth is most preppers don’t think about survival tips for women.
That’s because the vast majority of preppers are men. And, although this doesn’t discount or disqualify women from being able to prepare, it does mean they often don’t get the attention they deserve regarding their specific needs.
That’s why I want to take the time today to focus exclusively on the female prepper population, and talk about a few important…
Survival Tips For Women
Now keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination. However, hopefully it covers a few things women need to know to prepare for an upcoming emergency.
“That Time Of The Month”
Periods are frustrating and painful as it is, but in an SHTF situation it’s just going to get worse. After all, it’s going to be tough to keep everything sanitary, and the risk of disease will be higher. Not to mention, the stressors of living in a crisis may make symptoms feel much worse.
If you’re a woman, you’re going to need to prepare by getting a Moon Cup (aka a Diva Cup). This silicone cup fits inside your body, just below the cervix, and catches the blood. Then, all you have to do is empty it out, wash it with SANITARY water and soap, and then reinsert it. Not only can you use these indefinitely, but they also take up hardly any space in your bug out bag.
Here’s a counterintuitive statement: don’t invest in tampons or pads for long-term survival. Reason being, when you calculate how many of these you’ll need, say for a year, this equals about 4 tampons/pads per day (or more), 5-7 days a month, 12 months out of the year. This is roughly 240 pads/tampons at bare minimum. And it’s likely you don’t have that kind of space in your bug out bag.
If you must use pads, homemade ones can often be the best (as long as you have access to sanitary clothes washing). You can easily make them yourself with two pieces of fabric and some cotton in-between. Wash it with SANITARY water and soap, then dry and reuse.
SHTF Pregnancy
Being pregnant during an SHTF situation is by no means ideal. However, we can’t plan when an emergency will hit, so it’s best to plan accordingly.
Be sure to stock up on clean sheets, towels, pads, bacteria-killing creams (like Betadine), and lots of purified water.
Unfortunately, having a baby in an SHTF situation has a whole mess of complications you’ll have to plan for, as well. Check out the video below to learn about three of the most common factors that cause fatalities for pregnant women (and how to prevent them):
Thankfully, there are a lot of things you can do to help you prepare for this event. For instance, here’s another video describing all the materials you can put in your “disaster birth” kit.
SHTF-Approved Birth Control Options
If you either no longer want to grow your family, or you want to prevent doing so for a while, birth control may be the best bet. However, there are certain things to consider about each method, especially under the realities of an emergency situation.
- Condoms: Condoms are very effective (98% success rate when you use them correctly), and they also store really well and are compact enough to not take up too much space. These are great for an SHTF situation.
- Birth Control Pills: These can also be immensely effective, and great for family planning. However, if you’re wanting them to be a long-term solution, you’ll want to stock up on quite a few packs to prepare for an emergency. Also, be aware that if you have a timer on your phone that reminds you to take them, you may not have that luxury in a crisis. So having a way to remember to take them at the same time every day is very important.
- Diaphragm: One of the biggest selling points about diaphragms is the fact that they’re reusable. And, with a success rate of about 85-95% (especially when used with spermicide) this makes them pretty useful for emergency situations.
- Implants and IUDs: These are some of the most preferable methods for birth control. That’s because it’s a one-time procedure that lasts for years and neither one requires you to remember to do anything once it’s in. Besides a vasectomy and tube tying, these are the most stress-free of the lot.
Unwanted Sex In An SHTF Situation
It’s scary to think about, but most of us will end up doing and saying things in an SHTF situation that we never thought we would do and say in real life. Stress will be high, and people are likely to become more like animals than civilized human beings.
As such, it’s likely that the rates of sexual abuse and unwanted sexual advances upon women will increase dramatically in an emergency. Thus, women will need to prepare for the possibility that men may approach them and ask for sex in exchange for their own survival.
Keep in mind that it’s important to have a plan – yet, you’ll likely need to recreate that plan and revise it as you go through week after week (and day after day).
Women will need to be ready to use either their fight or flight response, depending on what the situation demands. It’s also crucial to have some valuable bartering items on hand so that you can offer this in exchange.
Furthermore, a defense weapon is essential. Whether it’s a gun, pepper spray, a knife, etc. women need to be ready to use anything and everything to keep sexual predators at bay. And, for now, it’s best to learn how to use these tools so you be effective with them when the time comes.
Men aren’t off the hook, either. It is a man’s responsibility to protect women from harm and to help keep them safe from sexual predators. The more we see sexual harassment and abuse as EVERYONE’S problem – not just women’s – the safer we will be and the more active we all will become in fighting these behaviors.
