Mountaineer’s Makeshift Pad Highlights Gaps in Expedition Safety

Mountaineer Yogeshwari Bohare recently went viral after sharing how she managed her period at 16,000 feet using a makeshift pad constructed from tissue paper and medical tape. With no access to shops or sanitary products at her high-altitude camp, Bohare’s improvisation highlighted the lack of formal menstrual hygiene considerations in many expedition safety plans.

While the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) provides general safety guidelines, it does not explicitly mandate menstrual products or hygiene facilities in its advisories. Bohare’s experience has sparked calls for expedition organizers to include menstrual hygiene in routine supply planning, treating it as an essential safety requirement alongside first-aid and terrain preparation.

Editor's note: The brief captures the central narrative and the policy gap regarding menstrual hygiene in mountaineering, maintaining appropriate tone and density.