Ready to Hit the Road? Remember to Bring Medications and Common Sense

Women cope with pain better than men, recent studies indicate. Maybe so. But when I’m traveling, I can’t cope at all. I’ll never forget the time I got sick to my stomach while standing in a long line at the Istanbul airport; I slumped over a baggage cart thinking I’d never make it home.

Anyone can get bitten by a stomach bug on the road, not to mention all those other diseases travelers have to watch out for, particularly on long trips through the developing world. In places like Southeast Asia and Africa, where sanitation and medical technology are often primitive, it’s harder to take care of yourself, but all the more imperative. That’s the lesson I learned in Istanbul, and why I’ve become so health-conscious on the road.

Fortunately, the simple fact that you’re a woman doesn’t put you grossly more at risk for health problems away from home. But there are some things traveling women should be aware of before heading off to Tajikistan or Borneo.

Hepatitis B and C and AIDS threaten travelers, regardless of gender. These diseases are passed through infected bodily fluids, which is why bringing along condoms can be a good idea. And you should avoid getting a tattoo, having your ears pierced or receiving an injection in countries where sterile medical supplies are limited, doctors may be poorly trained and there’s low general awareness about the communicability of hepatitis and AIDS. Careful travelers keep sterile needles in their medical kits and avoid manicures, pedicures, acupuncture and even haircuts.

Women have a few extra concerns, particularly if they have gynecological problems or pregnancy complications such as spontaneous bleeding or going into labor on the road. Simply put, it is best to avoid any medical procedure (examinations included) that might involve the use of unsterile needles and implements. As Dr. Alan M. Spira, director of the Travel Medicine Center in Beverly Hills, says: “A pregnant woman must ask herself: Is this trip necessary?”

Both Spira and Dr. Claire Panosian, director of travel and tropical medicine for the UCLA Medical Center, consider personal safety an important health issue for travelers. This is because injuries that result from violent crime could force you to get emergency treatment in substandard medical facilities. The staffs at U.S. embassies and consulates usually can recommend good doctors and hospitals. Another resource is the International Assn. for Medical Assistance to Travelers, which keeps a list of reliable providers throughout the world.

Malaria, spread by mosquitoes and endemic in many parts of the Third World, can be a danger to women who are pregnant or become pregnant on the road, resulting in particularly virulent bouts of the disease and possible damage to the fetus. Local women in infected areas are most at risk, but travelers need to pay attention too. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta does not recommend travel in at-risk areas during pregnancy, even though antimalarial drugs such as mefloquine and chloroquine are generally considered safe for pregnant women. Noting that it often can take time for the symptoms of malaria to become apparent, Panosian advises women to avoid getting pregnant for at least six months after leaving malarial areas as well.

Premenstrual syndrome can be excruciating, especially when compounded by fatigue and jet lag. Women who rely on prescription drugs to lessen the pain of cramps should take along enough medication to see them through, and keep the pills in the bottles they came in, bearing labels that identify the drug’s brand and pharmacological name. (Also pack copies of the prescription, along with your doctor’s phone and fax numbers.) Natural remedies for PMS abound, such as yoga, meditation and massaging the lower abdomen with lavender or sage oil. I favor giving sightseeing a rain check, eating something gooey like noodles or pudding (as writer Laurie Colwin once called it, “nursery food”) and climbing into bed.

Irregular periods commonly result from travel. Unless they persist, they are nothing to worry about. But women must travel well equipped, restocking along the way when they find familiar menstrual supplies and carrying something at all times just in case their period arrives inopportunely. Of course, the same is true of contraceptive pills, which can be impossible to find in off-the-beaten-track places and ineffective if you get a bad bout of gastrointestinal sickness that produces vomiting.

Urinary tract infections are particular nuisances for women who travel. Wearing loose clothing and cotton undies and drinking plenty of water can help stave them off, and infections of the urinary tract are effectively treated with antibiotics (which is partly why I have my doctor give me a prescription for an antibiotic, which I fill and take along wherever I go). The trouble is that antibiotics can promote yeast infections, another common complaint of women on the road.

Yeast infections often occur when you’re traveling in hot, damp climates, or when you’re on an antibiotic that kills off both the good and bad bacteria in your body. For this reason, women who are prone to yeast infections should pack their favorite over-the-counter remedy. And Spira recommends that women on antibiotics also take a pro-biotic like acidophilus (eating yogurt can help too).

Last but not least, there’s the question of sanitation in toilets. Some well-traveled women believe squat toilets are more hygienic than those you sit on. Others carry toilet seat covers and spray sanitizers. But the likelihood of getting something nasty from a toilet of any style is really very low. So rest easy, women travelers, but, as in all things, use your common sense.